Reasons To Switch Your Home To Renewable Energy
Modern problems require modern solutions. This is especially true when making your home a comfortable and sustainable place. All the more reason to to switch your home to renewable energy or at least consider it when reviewing your options.
Nowadays, climate change issues have been at the forefront of developments and innovations. Companies, organizations, and even ordinary citizens are trying to reduce its damage if not fully mitigate it.
This is where the subject of renewable energy for homes comes in. While local governments are the key movers for this initiative, homeowners are increasingly becoming more proactive in ensuring that their houses are equipped with renewable energy sources to generate electricity and power their appliances.
If you are one of those who consider utilizing renewable energy sources for your home, this article is for you.
What Is Renewable Energy?
Unlike other forms of energy, renewable energy can be replenished in nature. This includes the energy sourced from the sun or the wind. Since the dawn of time, humans have been harnessing the power of nature for light, heat, and even transport. Think of sailboats of ages ago, powered by the wind as they ride the seas. The sun’s warmth is instrumental in warming the homes and cooking food.
There are abundant energy sources in nature, and they will never run out. Despite this, humans have a penchant for creating energy from easily depleted sources. This includes oil, gas, and coal. Investments are poured in for artificial energy sources, making them seemingly cheaper and more accessible.
In modern times, there is renewed interest in utilizing renewable energy resources. Many initiatives were made to find cost-effective ways to generate energy savings.
State of Renewable Energy at a Glance
To illustrate the point of the growing popularity of renewable energy, we’ve gathered some of the statistics that highlight its progress and importance.
- In the United States, the energy source has increased by 42% from 2010 to 2020.
- In 2020 alone, renewables comprised almost 20% of the country’s utility-scale electricity generation, most of which came from hydropower and wind power.
- Led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, the country aims to reduce the price of solar energy by 50% in 2030.
- According to statistics, there will be a rise in the amount of electricity produced by geothermal power plants from 15.9 billion kWh in 2021 to 47.4 billion kWh in 2050.
Types of Renewable Energy
There are numerous types of renewable energy today. The most common ones are the following:
Hydropower
This type of renewable energy uses dams to control the currents and flow of a body of water like a river. This energy source dates back thousands of years and is clean, constantly replenished by rain and snow.
Solar Energy
Solar energy has been increasingly common nowadays with the introduction of home solar panels. These panels can be installed on rooftops of homes and buildings, in utility-scale farms, and even in big industries.
Solar panels are responsible for converting the sun’s rays to electricity, allowing households to use renewable energy to power their homes and sell the excess to the local power grid.
Wind Turbines
Another source of renewable energy is wind turbines. Harnessing the power of the wind, people can generate electricity using wind turbines. Generating electricity using wind turbines doesn’t consume any fuel, making it clean and renewable.
Although wind turbines need a reasonable upfront investment, they can result in long-term cost savings, particularly when wind is plentiful and consistent. This is because wind turbines produce electricity that can be used to power your home. Your energy expenses could be greatly lowered as a result, and in some places you might even be able to sell any extra electricity back to the system.
Bioenergy
This sustainable energy source, known as biomass, is derived from recently living organic materials and can be utilized to create products, heat, power, and transportation fuels. The materials could range from crops, organic waste from homes, and animal and industrial waste. The energy produced from these sources can be used as fuel, heat, electricity, and products derived from natural gas or petroleum, like plastics, lubricants, and industrial chemicals.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy, which existed for thousands of years, is derived from the earth’s internal heat. Small cracks underground serve as pathways for the liquid to pass through the hot rocks. People harness underground reservoirs of steam and hot water to generate electricity and power deep wells.
Benefits of Harnessing Renewable Energy for Your Home
There are many advantages to using renewable energy for your home. Its benefits range from benefiting the environment and saving money. Take a look at each of these advantages to learn more about them.
Renewable Energy is Good for the Environment
Most large-scale energy production comes from sources that emit much greenhouse gas. In particular, generating electricity from fossil fuels accounts for 25% of greenhouse emissions in the United States. Some harmful gasses from this include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and fluorinated gasses.
In contrast, renewable energy sources do not emit such gasses and do not cause air pollution. It usually has lower carbon footprints compared to artificial energy resources. This means using renewable energy replaces the need for fossil fuel emissions and lessens the harmful environmental impacts.
In an age where people make everyday decisions by considering their carbon footprint, it is time to consider changing your perspectives not only on plastic straws and fast-fashion clothes but also on the energy that powers your home.
Reduces Dependence on Imported Fuels
Most countries worldwide are forced to rely on oil-rich countries to supply their energy needs. While the United States has an ample supply of some energy sources, it is still highly beneficial for your household to minimize the reliance on imported fuels and look for ways to utilize renewable energy instead.
Investing in renewable energy will help countries become independent from others, allowing them to control their energy pricing and even boosting the local economy. For individual households, using renewable energy means avoiding being at the mercy of electricity providers. Installing a solar panel, for example, will keep your home powered even in the case of a short energy supply and circumstances beyond your control.
Doing your part in diversifying your energy supply at home can contribute to the overall independence from fossil fuels.
Contributes to the Economy
You may not readily see it, but the little effort of incorporating renewable energy into your home can significantly contribute to the economy. Not only does the renewable energy boom help create more jobs for those who work in solar and wind energy generation, but it also benefits other sectors like manufacturing and installation services.
It also creates an economic ripple effect that can positively impact the economy. The renewable energy industries benefit significantly from this as the demand for clean energy can boost their income. This, in turn, gives way to the creation of more jobs. Since renewable energy is more labor intensive, unlike fossil fuel technologies that are more mechanized, humans are very much needed to install solar panels, and technicians must maintain the wind farms.
The wind industry employs thousands of people in various capacities, including manufacturing, construction and turbine installation, project development, operations, and management. Other jobs are allotted for transportation, logistics, financial, legal, and consulting services.
Improves Public Well-being
It is not a secret that the fossil fuel industry emits harmful gasses and contributes to water pollution. Many health problems are attributed to coal and natural gas, including breathing problems, heart attacks, neurological damage, cancer, and premature death. This takes a toll on the healthcare industry, with the public health effects of coal and natural gas contributing to serious health problems.
Renewable energy sources do not contribute to air and water pollution. Electricity can be generated from wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems without causing air pollution emissions. While geothermal and biomass systems emit air pollutants, the total emissions are generally lower than coal and natural gas-fired power plants. Water is not required to operate wind and solar energy, which means it cannot pollute water resources or strain water supplies that can generally impact agriculture.
Although hydropower depends on water to generate electricity, the latter is produced through water flow from a river, dam, or stream. Other energy sources generate steam through burning materials.
Stabilizes Energy Prices
If you choose renewable energy for your home, you are helping to stabilize energy prices in your little way. The more demand for renewable energy, the steadier the cost decline will be.
The conflicts in other parts of the globe rarely dictate renewable energy prices. Fossil fuel costs can be quite volatile with the explosion of war and skirmishes in oil-rich countries. Global demands can also contribute to oil prices’ rapid fall or rise.
In time, renewable energy will be providing affordable electricity across the country. While they can sometimes require considerable investments to build, they can operate at a meager cost in the long run. Solar installation’s average price could very well drop in the coming years.
Requires Low Maintenance
Most renewable energy technologies require less overall maintenance than traditional generators utilizing traditional fuel sources. There are few moving parts in solar panels and wind turbines, which means less maintenance efforts and costs.
Since most renewable energy-generating technology does not rely on flammable, combustible fuel sources, the costs associated with operation are much lower. The only expensive investment is in the initial stage, usually in the installation.
Once done, the facility can start operating. This means you can make the most of your renewable energy source without wasting so much on maintenance costs.
Helps Save Money
As mentioned, setting up renewable energy can be quite expensive initially. Eventually, you will be able to reap the rewards, and the positive impact is everlasting. For example, a solar panel for your home can cost a lot at the initial installation, but once it is up and running, you can enjoy low utility bills.
This means being able to save a significant amount from your monthly bills. However, you need to remember that the amount you will save largely depends on the electricity consumed, the size of your solar energy system, and the power it can generate.
Other choices for solar energy involve opting for a leased, third-party-owned system that lets you host a solar energy system on your rooftop. In return, you can purchase the generated electricity at a discounted rate. This arrangement allows you to lock in electricity rates for years.
Renewable energy is known to pay for itself after some time. This means you will continue to benefit from the savings.
Increases Your Home’s Value
If you treat their homes as an investment, ensuring to incorporate renewable energy sources into your daily life can be beneficial. Installing a solar panel, for example, can save you money by being more energy efficient.
Homes that make use of renewable energy are considered valuable. Such a power source is considered an upgrade, meaning the house is sustainable and less dependent on traditional electricity and power sources.
Many aspiring homeowners are willing to pay a premium for a solar-powered home. Solar energy is known to generate electricity and allows you to enjoy lighting even if the power poles are down. There is also what they call solar heating. This means solar energy can provide hot water and heating all year round if done right. You might need larger panels, with the size depending on the area of your home.
Should you decide to sell your home in the future, you can help sell it faster if it is equipped with solar panels. You can expect to get a higher value for your home.
Wrapping Up
With all the challenges the world faces today—rising health issues, increasingly polluted air, and overall impacts of climate change and global warming—it is only sensible to consider the benefits of renewable energy. While there are some disadvantages, the pros still outweigh the cons.
It is humanity’s best chance to mitigate the damage and help make the world far better for future generations. As ordinary homeowners, you will be able to do your part.
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