Renewable energy is energy that is derived from renewable resources such as sun, wind, tides, rain or geothermal activity.

We live in the sunniest country on earth. So it makes sense that we embrace the use of renewable energies such as solar and wind to power our homes. Especially as the alternative, gas and oil, are non-renewable. That means, when they run out, they’ve run out. Finito.

While it makes good sense to ease our dependency off gas and oil gradually, there’s no doubt, at the minute, that gas and coal still offer cheaper energy than the emerging technologies of renewables. But as the amount of readily available coal and gas reduces, the price of fossil fuels will inevitably rise.

And a lot of Australian households, (there are over 1 million Aussies households with solar panels installed on their roof tops) are counting on it. With the advent of new technology such as cheap storage batteries, the move away from coal and gas is not too far into the future.

But don’t take our word for it. There are thousands of solar experts right around Australia. Have a chat with one today.

Here’s our quick guide to renewable energy in Australia.

Types of renewable energy:

• Solar
• Wind
• Hydro
• Biomass & Biofuel
• Geothermal

Solar

Solar energy is created by capturing the radiation of the sun. This is done via the use of a photovoltaic system. Basically a PV system is made of two parts. Solar panels absorb sunlight and turn it into electricity, while an Inverter turns the electric current from DC to AC – a form we can use to power our homes.

Many Australians home and businesses have installed solar panels on their roofs to generate electricity, while any power left over can be fed back into the electricity grid can be on-sold by power companies. There are rebates and feed-in tariffs that apply, and these vary from state to state. To get more information about the current state of play, you can read more about it here. 

The development of battery technology will be a game changer for the industry. Battery storage will allow you to store the energy your solar panels create, and use it at night. Interested? You can read more here. 

Wind

Wind turbines are powered by… wind. Windmills have been used since ancient times to create forms of energy. Today they are used to create electricity. You can see wind turbines right around Australia, especially in regional areas – generally near coastline or on high ground where wind speed tends to be higher. As wind speeds are up to 90% higher over open water than on land, wind turbines that are located off shore can create more power. Great news for the future of commercial offshore wind farms.

Hydro

Hydropower is generated by using the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. This usually involves the construction and use of large scale dams. Hydroelectricity is widely used in Australia and is seen in facilities such as Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme. In Tasmania hydropower generates around 29% of the nation’s electricity.

Biomass/Biofuel

Biomass generally refers to plants that are processed to provide biofuel. Biomass can be used to create biofuels such as methane, ethanol or biodiesel. Often the plant matter used is by-products of industry, such as wood pulp, sugar cane or wheat straw.

Geothermal

Geothermal energy is the energy generated and stored within the Earth naturally. Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years in the form of natural hot springs and baths. Several locations within Australia have been found to be suitable for producing Geothermal energy on a commercial scale. Many of these are in production or construction phases of development.

To find out more about renewable energy, check out our helpful articles.