America has numerous sources of energy but energy from renewable sources is still largely unexplored. As of 2014, energy generated from renewable energy sources (hydropower, biomass wood, wind energy, biomass waste, solar energy, and geothermal) made up about thirteen percent of the United States energy sources. Nearly half of the thirteen percent (about forty-eight percent) comes from hydro. In 2016, the Outlook report projected an 8.1% rise in renewable energy usage by the power sector.
According to a comprehensive study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), it is possible for America to generate up to eighty percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. Futures Study postulates that the eighty percent renewable future is possible as a result of the currently available technologies like solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, bio power, hydropower, geothermal, and concentrating solar power. The study also demonstrates that high renewable scenario can meet uninterrupted electricity demand across the nation all year round. The findings show that solar and wind can provide up to half of the nation’s electricity requirement while the remaining thirty percent can come from other renewable sources.
Increasing renewables to supply eighty percent of the nation’s electricity will in no way mean limiting the nation’s energy choices to one specific pathway. Instead, the study by NREL shows there are multiple renewable energy scenarios through which the nation can reach its goal.
The world is teaming up to fight climate change as well as tilting in favor of renewable energy because of the substantial benefits it offers for the climate, economy, and health. Sticking to renewable energy will drastically reduce global warming emissions, improve public health, and create more jobs alongside other economic benefits. Renewable systems also do not require water for cooling which means there will be a tremendous cut in water requirement for power production when compared to plants run by fossil fuels.
