Renewable energy technologies have many advantages that will enable many environmental benefits and with low production costs. At the same time, disadvantages such as lower power levels and limited application depend on geographical location and in some areas, environmental concerns.

Today, our planet greatly depends on many energy resources. The population of the world is rising, which means that people will need more energy for living, but much of the energy that people use is being depleted. Fossil fuels and energy produced through nuclear fission are nonrenewable sources of energy. To be more specific, coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear energy are some of the main energy sources used today. Even though our energy demands depend highly on these sources, use of these energy sources is associated with various environmental problems and a concern for the future with an inevitable shortage.

Research into alternative sustainable energy sources is ongoing. Sustainable energy implies the same energy that we consume daily, but which is produced by different methods and from different resources. Those sources are considered to be renewable and not limited considering a long term perspective.

Today, every person who is concerned about the future realizes the importance of sustainable energy. Such sources characterized as renewable include solar, wind, hydroelectric or geothermal energy sources. The development of these technologies deserves considerable attention, but due to some economical reasons and/or natural conditions, it is not wholly possible.

In many developed countries, these alternative methods are being supported by investors. For example, there are more than 25,000 wind farms in Europe, a number that is projected to double by 2015. The largest market of solar panel capacity in the world is in Germany. The annual sales of this market amount to $5 billion. Investments in this field have been growing rapidly over recent years and it is not only because of investors interest in saving the planet. They do hope, of course, to get good returns from their investments.

It also must be noted that not every geographical area can contribute to the installation of certain renewable energy production facilities. For instance, wind power energy has great potential and relatively low cost, but at the same time, it can't be used in some areas due to environmental reasons and difficulty related to converting wind power into electricity.
It will probably be a long time before many sustainable energy technologies come into serious play and begin to substitute even half of the current nonrenewable energy sources used now. Taking into consideration the fact that many third world countries cannot afford to develop many sustainable energy technologies to the fullest, it's likely that only the more affluent and developed countries will benefit from them. As for now, we can expect to observe a continuation of use between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.

One Response to “How Far Can Sustainable Energy Take Us?”

1. 1
   Major Tackette Says:
   

   I don’t agree with everything in this piece of content, but you do make some very good points. Im very interested in this matter and I myself do alot of research as well. Either way it was a well thoughtout and nice read so I figured I would leave you a comment. Feel free to check out my website sometime and let me know what you think.

   July 23rd, 2010 at 5:13 am

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