A choice to use clean energy is a choice to preserve the beauty of our earth and the cleanliness of our air. Clean energy supports job growth in a sector that relies upon steady, renewable energy that is not subjected to rises and falls in supply or price.
As the means for accumulating clean energy improves, it could cause the price of electricity to go down for all consumers. This could lead to lower costs in the transportation industry, which could lower the price of food to the average consumer.
Clean energy could also reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. In 2010, over a third of all U.S. oil consumption was supplied by other countries. That same money could be used to generate clean energy inside the U.S., keeping our resources within the country and improve the economy.
Sources of Clean Energy
Clean energy comes from many sources, providing reliability through diversity.
The movement of water can be harnessed as a clean source of energy. Water is constantly recharged by evaporation and precipitation. Flowing water can be used to power water wheels that, once captured by turbines and generators, can generate electricity. Energy from ocean waves and tides can be harnessed to generate electricity in exactly the same way using the same principals. and ocean thermal energy— from the heat stored in sea water—can also be converted to electricity. Using current technologies, most ocean energy is not cost-effective compared to other renewable energy sources, but the ocean remains and important potential energy source for the future.
The clean energy of the wind has been used for centuries to sail ships and drive windmills that grind grain. Today, wind energy is captured by wind turbines and used to generate electricity.
Once separated from other elements, hydrogen can be used to power vehicles, replace natural gas for heating and cooking, and to generate electricity.
Often overlooked and underestimated, biomass is an important source of clean energy moving into the twenty first century. Though it has been used for thousands of years by simply burning wood and other plants for heat, there are other modern sources of biomass energy that include food byproducts and grasses. Also waste from agriculture, forestry, residue and organic components from industrial wastes provide viable sources of clean energy.
The methane gas harvested from community landfills is even a good clean burning fuel. Biomass has the potential to produce electricity, fuel for transportation, or to create products in a more efficient and clean way.