what is a renewable resource 
a renewable resource is a resource that can be replenished naturally over time as a result it is sustainable despite its consumption by humankind renewable resources for the production of energy are considered especially important for their potential to replace non renewable or finite resources additionally renewable resources can offer cleaner energy solutions than those provided by non renewable resources such as coal and fossil fuels examples of renewable resources include the sun wind water the earth s heat geothermal and biomass understanding renewable resourcesa renewable resource is a resource of which there is a seemingly endless supply because it can be replenished for example renewable resources such as the sun the wind and geothermal heat are considered inexhaustible water is also considered a renewable natural resource as long as there is precipitation changing climate patterns have underscored the need for conservation efforts to protect water supplies other natural resources are considered renewable even though some time and effort must go into their renewal in addition most precious metals are considered renewable because they re reusable since they are not destroyed during their extraction and use they can be recycled unlike renewable resources once a non renewable resource is depleted it cannot be recovered as the human population continues to grow and finite resources become increasingly scarce the demand for renewable resources increases fossil fuels have been used since the late 1880s to produce the energy we use renewable resources such as hydropower and wood have been used much longer in fact they were the two primary renewable energy resources up to the 1990s in the years since renewable energy production has come increasingly from biomass geothermal solar water and wind resources renewable resources that can replace fossil fuels in the production of energy are a major focus of nations around the world the challenges for successful renewable energy production include reliability and expense a great deal of research is taking place to determine the viability and best implementation of renewable energy on a mass scale the paris climate accord is an agreement involving over 180 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the global temperature increase to less than 2 degrees celsius 3 6 degrees fahrenheit above pre industrial levels by the year 2100 on jan 20 2021 president joe biden signed an executive order for the united states to rejoin the paris agreement after the trump administration withdrew from it on nov 4 2020 1examples of renewable resourcessunlight is a widely recognized renewable resource in fact it has been used throughout human history to warm shelters dry and cook foods and heat water different technologies exist and continue to be developed to collect and convert solar radiation into heat energy that can be used for various purposes for example solar photovoltaic pv devices or solar cells change sunlight into electricity depending on the number of solar cells in use they can power small appliances or provide electricity for many homes the challenge with using sunlight for our energy needs is that it can vary and at times be unreliable the availability of sunlight depends on time of day existing weather conditions season of the year and geographic location 2wind has a direct relationship to the sun daily winds result when the sun s heat is captured unevenly by the varying surfaces on the earth including oceans and other water masses air above land heats up faster than air above water during the day when the sun is shining that warm air expands and rises cooler air takes its place this creates wind in earlier years windmills were used across the u s to capture energy and pump water from wells they still exist in some farming areas to provide livestock with water 3today wind is harnessed to produce electricity wind flows over blades in wind turbines the blades turn and that drives an electric generator in turn that generates electricity 3typically wind turbines don t produce emissions capable of polluting the air or water also they don t need to be cooled by water though rare they can have some negative effects on the environment if they leak lubricating fluids or catch fire they can also negatively impact bird life and species 3in 2023 wind turbines provided about 10 2 of total u s utility scale electricity generation 4hydropower is the energy produced by water it was an early renewable source of energy even before it was used to generate electricity for example hydropower turned paddle wheels on rivers to allow for the milling of grain and lumber however changes in precipitation and lack of water due to droughts can affect hydropower production hydropower was used to generate electricity in the u s beginning in 1880 today most of the nation s hydroelectricity is produced in facilities located at large dams built in the 1970s until 2019 hydropower was the largest source of total annual renewable electricity generation in the u s in 2023 hydropower accounted for 5 7 of total utility scale electricity generation 4geothermal is a renewable resource that uses earth s heat to generate power hot springs heated by the earth have been used for centuries for bathing geothermal energy has also been used and still is for district heating systems geothermal energy is used to generate electricity as well power plants for this purpose are built below ground within approximately a mile of earth s surface seven u s states had geothermal power plants in 2023 california hawaii idaho nevada new mexico oregon and utah in that year they produced approximately 17 billion kilowatt hours kwh of electricity 5in 2023 geothermal accounted for about 0 4 of total u s utility scale electricity generation 4geothermal heat pumps are another way to use earth s heat they transfer heat from the ground or water into buildings during the winter and reverse the process in the summer to aid in heating and cooling 5renewable organic products that produce energy are referred to as biomass the process of photosynthesis uses energy from the sun to convert biomass resources into chemical energy in 2023 biomass provided nearly five quadrillion british thermal units btu and about 5 of total primary energy use in the united states in the same year it accounted for about 1 1 of total u s utility scale electricity generation 46biomass renewable resources include wood and wood waste agricultural crops and waste which are mainly used for biofuel municipal waste including paper cotton food and yard waste and animal manure and sewage 7biofuel refers to liquid fuels and blending components produced from feedstock biomass materials most biofuels are used as transportation fuels but they may also be used for heating and electricity generation this renewable resource has become more prevalent in recent years as an alternative to non renewable resources such as coal oil and natural gas 8in january 2023 u s biofuels production capacity was about 23 billion gallons an increase over the same period in 2022 in addition the u s was a net exporter of biofuels the fuel ethanol accounted for 78 of biofuel production 9although prices are still high for biofuel some experts project that as the prices of fossil fuels increase the price of biofuel will become more competitive renewable resources vs non renewable resourcesrenewable resources are those resources that can continue to exist despite being consumed or can replenish themselves over a period of time even as they are used they include sun wind water geothermal and biomass the disadvantage of renewable resources is that they may not be available for use when needed for example the ability to collect and use solar energy is limited at night and when the sky is overcast the continued availability of water depends on ongoing precipitation and weather conditions renewable resources are considered to have less of a negative impact on the environment than non renewable resources non renewable resources are those resources that are considered finite due to the extremely long time it takes for nature to create them once depleted they become unavailable they include coal natural gas and oil the advantage of non renewable resources is that they re readily available now and the infrastructure for their use exists to produce power on demand however they have a greater negative environmental impact than renewable resources the heat trapped by carbon dioxide gas when coal and oil are burned contributes to the atmosphere s rising temperature and global climate change activists consumers and government leaders promote renewable energy as a way to generate needed power without the emissions that are warming the planet and threatening life on earth the covid 19 pandemic supported the trend toward lower fossil fuel prices due to record low consumption in 2020 10 however with the outbreak of the ukraine russia war in early 2022 the price of oil skyrocketed and has remained high in 2024 11special considerationsrenewable resources have become a focal point of the environmental movement both politically and economically energy obtained from renewable resources puts much less strain on the limited supply of fossil fuels which are non renewable resources the problem with using renewable resources on a large scale is that they are costly in most cases more research is needed to determine how to use them most cost effectively beyond their limited supply energy sources such as fossil fuels damage the environment when produced and consumed and they contribute to global warming the first major international accord to curb carbon dioxide emissions and global warming was the kyoto protocol signed in 1997 12 more recently global powers met in paris in 2015 to pledge emissions reductions and a focus on higher reliance on renewable resources for energy 13incentives can encourage the use of alternative energy for example energy taxes place a surcharge on fossil fuels this can make the prices of renewable resources more competitive and attractive as a result people may be more inclined to use renewable energy also the reward of renewable energy certificates recs acts as an incentive to produce energy using green sources green funds which are investments such as mutual funds support eco friendly and sustainable companies by investing in them these investments also help to promote environmental awareness these incentives seem to be having an effect according to the u s energy information administration eia in 2022 renewable energy provided almost 13 2 quadrillion british thermal units btu this represented 13 of total u s energy consumption 14in 2023 21 4 of u s utility scale electricity was generated by renewable energy sources 4state and federal governments have encouraged more biofuel consumption with requirements and incentives for the use of renewable energy the eia anticipates that u s renewable energy consumption will continue to increase through 2050 14