Renewable Energy

The energy sources the humans use have a direct influence on the environment. Power generation is the leading cause of air pollution, as well as the leading source of United States greenhouse gas emissions. Using renewable clean energy would drastically reduce the reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. In order to move toward a cleaner, healthier energy future renewable energies such as solar and wind power need to be utilized to generate electricity. The benefits of using solar and wind energy include; increased sustainability, reduced pollution, and climate change mitigation.

Solar
Solar energy is power that can be harnessed from the sun, a vast and inexhaustible resource. The technology to harness solar energy has already been created; solar panels are modular systems of energy harvesting that can generate and store electricity. The major benefit of using solar energy is that the technology produces none of the carbon, methane, or particulate emissions that fossil fuels emit.

Wind
Wind power, while not as abundant or vast as solar energy, is another form of a renewable resource that could greatly reduce the reliance of fossil fuels. The conversion of wind into a useful energy is accomplished by creating wind turbines that produce electrical power. Wind power is clean, efficient, plentiful, and requires little land. WInd power is an extremely practical solution for mitigating climate change. According to the Renewable Energy Policy Network, Denmark produces 22% of all its electricity with wind power. Other nations should follow in the footsteps of countries that invest in renewable resources to further develop the global transition into clean energies.