Renewable Energy: Answering The 10 Most-Googled Questions

The 10 Most-Googled Questions

1) Why is renewable energy important?

Renewable energy is pivotal to creating a more sustainable future for our planet. Not only does it help to conserve our natural resources, but clean, renewable, green energy also significantly reduces the greenhouse gases that have so heavily polluted our atmosphere.

We need power and electricity as part of our everyday lives, and the only way to provide this without further contributing to global warming and the climate crisis is to generate it through cleaner, sustainable sources such as wind power, solar panels, hydroelectricity and other forms of renewable power.

2) Why is renewable energy expensive?

Renewable energy does have a reputation as being expensive in the eyes of some. This is because, to build the initial renewable energy generators such as wind turbines and solar panels does require investment.

However, this investment will save you a lot of money in the long run. The installation costs may seem steep for some, but with a significantly reduced reliance on the national grid through the generation of your own electricity, you’ll soon see your monthly energy bills slashed.

More information on this can be found in our blog: Does going green save you money?

If you cannot afford to install your own renewable sources, fear not. More and more energy suppliers are now providing their own green energy.

3) Why is renewable energy sustainable?

The clue is in the name.  Renewable energy such as wind and solar power is sustainable because it is recyclable. Unlike fossil fuels such as coal, petrol and diesel, it will never run out.

Renewable energy meets the growing demands of consumers and are naturally replenishable. It really is a win, win for everyone!

4) What renewable energy sources are there?

There are five main types of renewable energy:

• Wind power
• Solar power
• Geothermal power
• Hydroelectric power
• Biomass power

5) What renewable energy is the best?

The answer to this question is subjective. It depends on the circumstances, wants, needs and location of each individual user or business.

If, for instance, you live by the coast in cooler, less sunny climates, wind turbines would be the most viable option in terms of generating the most power. This is why offshore wind farms have become such a success.

On the other hand, if you live in sunnier, warmer climates with less wind, solar panels would be the best option.

There is a lot to consider when answering this question, with many variables regarding sustainability, usability and environmental impact. For example, while biomass is the most widely used renewable energy, it is not entirely greenhouse gas emission-free due to transportation and importing.

To learn more about renewable energy sources and how our green products can help improve self-consumption and sustainability, get in touch with our team for the advice you seek.

6) What renewable energy does the UK & Ireland use?

Last year, renewable energy overtook fossil fuels for the first time ever in the UK and Ireland. The main renewable power sources we currently use are wind turbines, solar panels and biomass plants.

The UK and Irelands’s commitment to renewable energy is underlined by the significant investments in the Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm, the largest of its kind in the world!

7) How does renewable energy work?

Renewable energy works by generating power through natural resources, whether that’s heat via solar panels, kinetic via wind turbines and so on.

To learn how each individual source of renewable energy works, check out our guides below:

• Wind power
• Solar power
• Geothermal power
• Hydroelectric power

8) How does renewable energy benefit the environment?

Renewable energy is a massive positive for the environment and our collective mission to create a more sustainable future for our planet. Why? Because it reduces our reliance on fossil fuels that have plagued our atmosphere with greenhouse gases for many years now.

Through putting our faith in cleaner alternatives, we’ll be much more likely to avoid the seemingly irreversible damage to our natural resources.

9) How does renewable energy reduce climate change?

“Renewable energy minimises carbon pollution and has a much lower impact on our environment,” says World Wildlife Magazine

For years now, we have relied on coal and oil to power our homes, and petrol and diesel to power our motors. When fossil fuels such as these are burned, huge amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the air. This greenhouse gas traps heat in our atmosphere, causing  extreme weather, sea level rises and the ice caps to melt.

Renewable energy resources such as solar and wind do not release greenhouse gases, and are therefore much cleaner for the earth’s atmosphere.

10) How was renewable energy discovered?

Renewable energy has actually been used all over the world for many centuries, stemming way back to 200 BC, when water wheels were used in a similar way to how we now use hydropower.

You only have to look at the 1500s to see similar technology being used in the form of windmills, particularly in the Netherlands. It was not until the 1860s that solar energy was first referenced, with French investor Augustin Mouchot inventing the world’s first solar energy system.