Renewable Energy and their Challenges

Renewable energy is energy that has been derived from earth’s natural resources that are not
finite or exhaustible, such as water, wind, and sunlight. Renewable energy is an alternative to the traditional energy sources that rely on fossil fuels, and it tends to be much less harmful to the environment.

1. Geothermal Source of Renewable Energy

Geothermal heat is the heat that is trapped beneath the earth’s crust from the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago and from some radioactive decay. Sometimes large amounts of this heat escape naturally, but all at once, resulting in familiar occurrences frequently, such as volcanic eruptions and geysers. This heat can be captured and used to produce geothermal energy by using steam that comes from the much-heated water pumping below the surface, which then rises to the top and can be used to operate a turbine.

Benefits of Geothermal Renewable Energy

Geothermal energy is not as common as other types of renewable energy sources, but it has a significant potential for energy supply. Since it can be built underground, it leaves very little
footprint on the land. Geothermal energy is naturally replenished and therefore does not run a risk of depleting (on a human timescale).

Current Limitations of Geothermal Renewable Energy

Cost plays a very major factor when it comes to the disadvantages of geothermal energy. Not only is it costly to build the infrastructure, but another major concern is its vulnerability to
earthquakes in certain regions of the world, especially India.

2. Ocean

The massive oceans can produce mainly two types of energy: thermal and mechanical. Ocean thermal energy relies on warm water surface temperatures to generate energy through a range of different systems. Ocean mechanical energy uses the ebbs and flows of the tides to generate a renewable form of energy, which is created by the earth’s rotation and gravity from the moon in turn.

Benefits of Ocean Energy

Unlike the other forms of renewable energy, wave energy is very predictable and uniform and
it’s easy to estimate the amount of energy that will be produced. Rather than relying on varying factors, such as sun and wind, wave energy is much more consistent. This type of renewable energy is also abundant in nature, the most populated cities tend to be near oceans and harbors, making it easier to harness this energy for the local population. The potential of wave energy is a surprising form of untapped energy resource yet to be estimated with the ability to produce 2640 TWh/yr. Fact- just 1 TWh/yr of energy can power around 93,850 average U.S. homes with power annually or about twice the number of homes that currently exist in the country of the U.S. at present.

Current Limitations of Ocean Energy

People who live near the ocean definitely benefit from wave energy, but those who live in
landlocked states won’t have ready access to this energy. Another disadvantage to ocean
energy is that it can disrupt the ocean’s many delicate ecosystems. Although it is a very clean
source of energy, large machinery needs to be built nearby to help capture this form of energy,
which can cause disruptions to the ocean floor and the sea life that habitats it. Another major
factor to consider is whether, when rough weather occurs it changes the consistency of the
waves, thus producing lower energy output when compared to normal waves without stormy
weather.

3. Solar

Solar energy is derived by capturing and converting radiant energy from sunlight and converting it into heat, electricity, or hot water. Photovoltaic (PV) systems have the power to convert direct sunlight into electricity through the use of solar cells.

Benefits of Solar Energy Source

One of the main benefits of solar energy is that sunlight is functionally endless. With the
technology to harvest it, there is a limitless supply of solar energy especially considering how it’s available every day in countries like India, meaning it could render fossil fuels obsolete. Relying on solar energy rather than fossil fuels also helps us improve public health and environmental health conditions. In the long term, solar energy could also eliminate energy costing, and in the short term, dip your energy bills. Many federal-local, state and federal governments also incentivize the investment in solar energy by providing rebates or tax credits because of the indirect benefit to improvise on environmental health issues globally.

Current Limitations of Solar Energy Source

Although solar energy will save you lots of money in the long run, it tends to be a significant
upfront cost and is an unrealistic expense for most households at least in India. For personal
homes, homeowners also need to have ample sunlight and space to arrange their solar panels on house roofs, which limits who can realistically adopt this technology at the individual level.

Resolving the intermittent generation problem for the future

Whereas the challenges of integrating variable renewable sources into the grid are significant,
action needs to be taken now to meet global climate change targets and ensure a sustainable
energy system for the future.