Renewable energies are marking a drastic change in the residential and industrial energy sector worldwide. This type of energy is considered clean, that is, it protects the environment because it does not emit greenhouse gases or toxic gases into the atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels that do emit these gases.
The importance of renewable energies lies in the fact that they are making us less dependent on fossil fuels for power generation. In addition, renewable energies, in the future, will become important participants in various activities in homes, in electric vehicles, in airplanes, in spacecraft and in other activities.
In this article we show you all the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energies that you must take into account to understand how they will behave in the future and what they currently contribute to society.
Advantages of renewable energy
They are unlimited energy sources
They are unlimited sources of energy, allowing their use for a long period of time, without there being an availability problem or creating a situation of scarcity.
They allow the generation of energy on a small scale of users
Electricity generation can be carried out on a small scale, even at the level of few users.
This characteristic is very applicable to small industries that use certain energy for their production processes or for the generation of energy for residential complexes and their heating system.
Promote energy decentralization
Most renewable energy sources decentralize and diversify the electricity production process, that is, energy generation can be divided by sectors or production areas, instead of having a single production plant.
With this, electrical losses in energy transport systems are avoided. In addition, it is possible to supply places that are far away and that due to problems of high costs and difficulty in logistics do not have access to energy.
It is respectful with the ecosystem
These energy sources are completely respectful of the environment. Well, most do not produce carbon dioxide emissions, toxic gases or greenhouse effect that can affect the atmosphere.
With the use of this energy energy dependence on fossil fuels is minimized, so there is a real decrease in emissions that promote climate change.
Additionally, they help reduce the proliferation of pathologies related to air pollution in the population.
They do not produce toxic elements
Most of these energy sources do not produce toxic or difficult-to-treat waste, like other energies, especially nuclear, which produces radioactive plutonium.
Promote employment opportunities locally
By adopting renewable energies as an energy source, the generation of employment in the regions is directly promoted, since they quadruple the job opportunities that traditional energies have.
Contribute to energy independence
Renewable energies can eliminate the energy dependence of one country with another. There are nations that do not produce fuel or cannot produce their raw material, so they must depend on others for their supply.
Additionally, the productive development of renewable energy promotes the energy autonomy of these nations, since they carry out actions to promote the growth of these energies and cover their demand. Instead of maintaining a vicious circle that favors neither the country nor the final consumer.
They have an increase as competitive energy
Technological advances have allowed renewable energies can drastically reduce their cost structures, generating that they are competitive to conventional sources.
It is so much progress in the issue of financial reduction and technological innovation, that they are becoming a more real solution to eliminate dependence on non-renewable sources, not only in the environmental factor but also the economic issue.
Political consensus in favor of green energy
There is a real obligation among countries to have a greater contribution on the issue of balancing the use of renewable and non-renewable energy, to promote the future of the planet.
Therefore, there is an international consensus in favor of the use of clean energy sources.
They do not consume water for their operation
The use of these energies does not require a high consumption of water for any of the phases of electricity production, rather it favors a better use of water for human consumption and for agricultural activities.
Disadvantage of renewable energy
They are of intermittent energy production
Most of these energy sources are intermittent and can even be said to be irregular.
Their production rate is determined by external conditions Therefore, in general, they need the support of other energy sources to guarantee continuous production.
They are not available everywhere
Each region has its own natural resources to be used to obtain energy, but not all have the same conditions for energy generation.
They depend on factors that can increase the degree of energy profitability and that it be sustained for a long period without undergoing radical changes.
Generate great changes in the ecosystem
Renewable energies mostly require large constructions that usually directly affect well-established ecosystems.
However, the environmental impact they cause will always be less than that produced by non-renewable energies.
They produce a very negative visual impact
If these energy sources must be used at their maximum power, it is necessary to create a large generation center, so they will always cause a great visual impact.
This problem is further increased because most of the exploitation centers are extremely beautiful.
They need a gigantic initial investment
For a better use of energy through renewable energies, a large economic investment is needed. Usually the resources are not 100% available.
The initial investment is mostly very high, which means a large movement of money that generates serious doubts as to the economic profitability of the projects by investors.
They require large dimensions of land
For many this is one of the main drawbacks. These energies need a large physical space to be developed at their maximum power, which is why the use of large tracts of land is required.
They are not completely organic
Not all these energies are 100% green, there are cases such as geothermal energy that can sometimes pollute the water with the salts and minerals that come from the center of the earth. Likewise, the Energy biomass generates carbon dioxide as part of its process.
It is important to remember that the level of pollution from renewable energies will always be less than that generated by traditional energies.
They are far from the big centers of consumption
Most of these energy sources are located in remote locations far away from large consumption centers.
This supposes a special financing for the distribution of the energy generated towards the centers of consumption, as well as an additional cost for the maintenance of the energy transport systems.
They cause slight noise pollution
Wind farms produce constant noise that in many cases can be disturbing and has caused damage to the health of some inhabitants in areas close to the generation complexes.
However, with the use of technology, this sound has been reduced, but it has not yet been completely silenced.
Transformation of flora and fauna
The use of this energy has generated problems in nature, especially in the animal kingdom.
The most specific cases are the increase in bird deaths due to the effects of wind turbines or the decline in salmon species by the action of hydroelectric power.