1. Reduction Of Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Gases

Wind energy systems rely solely on the power of the wind. Therefore, no fuels are burned and no greenhouse gases are emitted. Compared to the output, the wind energy systems are significantly less than the coal-fired power plants but the carbon footprint on windmills is almost zero.

2. Limiting Consumption of Natural Resources

Since wind occurs naturally, it is inexhaustible. No fossil fuels are utilized and no other organic materials are being combusted. Aside from that, there is no wastewater as byproduct. Clearly, employing windmills will save other natural resources for better and longer use.

3. Non-Disruption of Land

Windmills can be as gigantic as skyscrapers and the rotation of the blades can definitely kill birds and destroy one-seater planes. However, windmills are erected on wide planes and therefore, no forests are cleared and no waterways are contaminated.

A community solar project involves having a solar power plant where the output is shared within locally. Those that can benefit from this project include neighborhoods, small-scale businesses and public places.

Wind energy can also be applicable using the same concept. However, this should only be applied if the presence of windmills will provide more benefits rather than the nuisances or disruptions.

Some of the disturbing aspects of having windmills are the noise of the rotating shafts, the flickering caused by the shadow of the rotating blades and occasional bird deaths. Also, it is important to note that each windmill requires a wide clearance; hence, you will need to dedicate a lot area.

Today, wind energy systems don’t depend on windmills entirely. Innovative designs, like the helix-shape wind turbines, have been made that addresses the windmill’s disadvantages. Basing on the size and location of the community, wind energy can be a more valuable asset than solar energy.

Wind mills rotate when wind passes through and this helps with the wind energy process. If a location experiences strong wind such as in ocean shores, a massive windmill is appropriate in order to maximize the resource.

The shaft of the windmill is coupled to a turbine, which rotates and this drives the shaft of the generator to rotate accordingly. To sum it up, wind moves the blades of the windmill and then the mechanical energy is transmitted towards the turbine and to the generator’s shaft.

Due to the basics of electromagnetism, the generator’s output is electricity. If the wind reaches 6 to 9 mph, the turbine will start to generate electricity. Basically, an increase in speed increases the electricity production.

Since wind can be unpredictable, the more windmills you have, the more chances you can optimize its movement. That set-up is called as ‘wind farm’.

Biomass energy revisits the concept of potential energy. In every organic matter, the heavier is its mass, the greater is its potential energy. The difference between biomass and fossil fuels, which also comes from dead living organisms, is that biomass utilizes the whole material for combustion while fossil fuels are just the flammable remnants of the carcasses of organisms.

Since biomass energy is derived from combustion or decomposition of living matter, all plant products that are made into furniture and other objects can be considered as sources for biomass energy. Biogas is a byproduct of extracting bioenergy from the resources and can be used as flammable gas.

Is Biomass Considered Renewable?

If you think about it, instead of just leaving unused organic matter to decompose naturally, why not utilize what’s left of it, right? Biomass is renewable since the cycle of life and death, or production and waste, will always stand true in this physical world.

You can add more solar panels and connect more batteries. Soon, your neighbors will see your progress and start to emulate your actions. Since the said system has a high initial cost, you can choose to share it with someone who can’t afford to install them at first. This is what is called ‘community solar project’.

The community solar project is a solar energy system where many consumers share the output electricity. It is basically a mini-solar farm and the consumers can be residents, small businesses and public structures. The connections are similar to a grid, only that they are localized.

Users can track their consumption via ‘virtual net metering system’. In a community solar project, you can be involved as an owner, where you are one of the investors of the system. Alternatively, you can be a subscriber, where you benefit as a consumer without the hassles of installing and maintaining a solar panel.

There can be many reasons why one may want to go solar. Here are some of the benefits.

1. Eliminates Cost And Promotes Profit

Having a solar energy system can help you lessen the reliance on coal-fired power plants products. Although it can be insignificantly small, you are still contributing in decreasing the greenhouse gases and this can also be cost-effective. Aside from that, if you have excess output from your solar system, you can sell them to your electric grid.

2. Promote Sustainability

One of the best things of solar energy system is expandability. You can connect more solar panels and storage batteries as long as the strategy fits on the space. If you are running a large business, you can start from a small set-up and proceed on expansion until your supply of electricity is sustainable.

3. The Only Constant Renewable Resource Available

As long as the sun shines, your solar energy system will have access to sunlight. Solar energy is most likely preferable in urban settings where there is less wind and rivers serve as sewages.

Solar energy is probably the most popular renewable energy. This is because the sun is the source of most of Earth’s stored energy. While the sun can rise and set, solar energy systems still have all the time to absorb the ‘excess’ energy from sunlight.

With the rising emissions of greenhouse gases, all of the leading organizations for environment safety are constantly monitoring one indicator: the ‘carbon footprint”. The carbon footprint is where a particular activity’s capability of contributing to greenhouse gases such as CO2 is measured.

Without doubt, transitioning from coal-fired power plants to solar farms can greatly reduce the carbon footprint. Another way to lower the carbon footprint is by exercising the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Having infrastructures that can harness the renewable energy resources are increasing and come in all sizes. Solar energy systems can be large like the solar farms or personalized for rooftop installations. Wind mills are truly massive structures that require constant wind, like those on the ocean shores, but there are now helix-shaped types installed on streetlights.

NDRC, or Natural Resources Defense Council, is continuing to push for more improvements to bring the benefits of renewable energy to numerous communities internationally. Policy-makers from progressive countries are trying to provide incentives on developing more efficient and effective systems while gradually straying away from the traditional power plant models.

Other nations are establishing flexible electric grids in which users can get collective energy from different energy resources. Also, consumers that have residential energy systems are encouraged to sell their excess stored energy to the grid.

According to the Worlds Resources Institute, there is a great miscalculation of the bioenergy’s potential in the energy sector. Utilizing crops as fuel source instead for food consumption is one of the reasons why. Clearing lands to extract energy from wood may not produce greenhouse gases but it prevents from functioning as CO2 absorbent.

The debate about its efficiency in the extraction process has been tense for the past years. The threat of food shortage and also the misuse of fertile lands are usually the main topics for argument.

If there is a much safer, more practical and logical extraction of biomass in all possible situations, then bioenergy can be prioritized. One of the potential and possibly inexhaustible sources of bioenergy is organic waste such as leftovers, furniture, clothes and other plant and animal products.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, or NDRC, is keen in promoting a ‘smart from the start’ mindset when trying to construct infrastructures for renewable energy systems. It seeks to ensure that no natural habitat will be disturbed right from the building to operation of the renewable energy power plants. Other than the power plants, the transmission lines are also part of the consideration.

Former landscapes and agricultural areas that are damaged from power plant developments are also being prioritized in restoring their previous functions. Furthermore, biomass systems are being considered as alternative energy resource. However, studies prove that burning wood is as deadly as burning fossil fuels.

To further stabilize the advocacies, progressive countries like the U.S. and Europe are discouraged from giving incentives on development of biomass systems. This is because most companies are forming biomass from burning wood pellets rather than using more sustainable alternatives like agricultural residues and sawdust are encouraged to be used.