Different Types of Renewable Onshore Energy Sources
Renewable energy is energy source that is created from natural resources. Due to the cost and low supply of obtain these resources, most countries started using nonrenewable sources such as petroleum and coal for their energy sources. However, many countries are now looking into return back to using renewable resources for energy in order to save the environment. Some of the common renewable onshore energy sources are biomass, hydropower and geothermal.
Biomass is an organic product that is made from trees, plants and animal. Some example of biomass products are wood, garbage, and farm crops. It is considered to be a renewable energy source because we have the ability to grow more trees and crops. Garbage will always be available in some form as well. One of the benefits of using biomass as a fuel or onshore energy source is that it does not pollute the air as much as other fuels do.
Hydropower is a renewable energy source that produced the most electricity than any other source. The energy from this onshore source is created by the movement of the water, which is generated at a hydroelectric power plant. One of the largest hydroelectric power plants, which is called the Grand Coulee Dam, is located in Washington. Hydropower does have some effects on the environment but it does not pollute the air.
Geothermal energy comes from the heat from the Earth. Since heat is produced continually by the Earth, this onshore energy sources is considered to be renewable. Geothermal energy can be found in geysers, hot springs and volcanoes around the world. A low amount of electricity is produced from this source at a few geothermal power plants in the United States. The level of carbon dioxide pollution produced by these plants is estimated to be less than one percent.
Currently, renewable energy sources only provide up to 7% of the energy used by the United States. However, the federal government has passed legislation such as the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in order to provide incentives to increase the use of these onshore energy sources. It is estimated that the usage will continues to grow and expand over the next 30 years.
