[INFORMATIVE] Benefits and challenges of renewable resources

Benefits and challenges of renewable resources

Written by: Maneeha Adnan

Renewable energy sources are reusable energy resources that will never run out, unlike non-renewable resources, which use fossil fuels. Renewable resources have no carbon footprint, so people prefer using them to generate power, such as air, sun, and water, instead of coal and other fossil fuels. Some renewable energy sources include solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, and bioenergy. Renewable energy sources are infinite and we’ll never run out of them. However, non-renewable energy sources are finite; just as the name suggests. In this article, I will share some of the benefits of using renewable energy sources and the challenges we face in using them.

Before diving into the benefits of renewable energy sources, let me explain some renewable energies and how they are produced. Solar energy, for instance, is produced when the sun’s rays shine on a solar panel and this energy from the sun is converted into power. This type of renewable energy is the most abundant. The National Geographic Society further explains this process: “This energy is created by nuclear fission that takes place in the sun. Fusion occurs when protons of hydrogen atoms violently collide in the sun’s core and fuse to create a helium atom. Solar energy is also considered to be the cheapest form of electricity. Meanwhile, wind energy uses wind to generate power, which involves wind turbines to do so. Lastly, there is hydro-energy, which utilizes the motion of a water source, such as waterfalls, to generate power and electricity.

Now that we understand what some renewable energy sources are and how they are used to produce electricity, it’s time to understand how they benefit our environment. The biggest advantage of using them is they are environmentally friendly. This means they don’t produce any kind of pollution, waste, or greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, whose harmful emission leads to climate change, which causes droughts, wildfires, flooding, poverty, health problems, species loss, and more (Department of Energy). In addition, renewable energy sources can lower energy costs and increase the energy independence of a country. Countries don’t have to rely on fossil-fuel-rich countries anymore. The maintenance cost for most of these energy sources is minimal. Furthermore, they create job opportunities such as greenhouse workers, urban planners, solar installers, air quality engineers, and environmental technicians. Hence, these renewable energy sources are reliable and good for human beings' better health.

Now we’ll take a look at some of the challenges you could experience in using these energy sources. First, there are geographic limitations and landmass requirements. In addition, the expense of building and installing solar and wind farms is another challenge. Most financial institutions consider their construction risky because of their higher construction costs and developers are not ready to justify those investments. New transmission infrastructure is needed to transfer electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed. However, current transmitters are designed to transfer fossil fuel and nuclear power plants only. Another factor is that renewable energy is not always available. For example, when it rains, there’s no sun to generate solar energy, so you would have to switch to a traditional power source or live without electricity. Furthermore, we might face policy barriers. Most countries have policies that favor fossil fuels over renewable energy sources. Some businesses might also face issues in promoting renewable energy technologies as there is low demand for renewable energy in the market.

In summary, no matter how many challenges we might face in using renewable energy sources, the benefits outweigh them. Renewable energy is an essential investment for our future. We need our future generations to have a clean environment to live in, fresh air to breathe in, and a sustainable world to survive in. While the availability of costs and infrastructure may pose some obstacles, the long-term rewards of renewable energy adoption are undeniable. Introducing new advanced technologies that support renewable energy and make its use easier will accelerate the adoption and efficiency of renewable energy. It’s time we take some action to protect our environment from all kinds of greenhouse emissions and other threats.


Citations
Turgeon, Andrew, and Elizabeth Morse. “Solar Energy.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 28 July 2022, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/solar-energy/.