There are a few good reasons why renewable energy is important.

The Environment

There are always pointless arguments between climate denialists and scientists about whether the world is “warming” or “cooling”.

But, in simple terms, “global warming” refers to the effect of burning fossil fuels on the planet as a whole. This takes in the increase of extreme weather events – such as floods, droughts, bushfires and storm events; plus the effect of an increase in carbon dioxide on fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs and the Arctic poles; plus the ongoing effects of air pollution on the health and liveability of our cities.

Cutting down on fossil fuels and using clean renewable resources such as wind, solar and hydro instead will have a major impact on the ability of the earth to restore its fragile equilibrium.

Sustainability

Sustainable means something that we can sustain for long term use. The current supply of coal, oil and gas that our economy relies on is not sustainable. That’s partly because these resources are finite, and also because of the effect they are having on global climate. So we need to turn to other energy sources, which are sustainable, such as solar or wind. These resources are infinite and create clean energy – it’s a win-win.

Cost & Supply

Renewable energy can be produced anywhere, and once the infrastructure is in place to provide enough electricity to cope with demand, will be infinite in supply. For some time yet we will need a combination of fossil fuel energy, alongside renewables to meet supply and demand. Renewable energy will (eventually) bring down the cost of energy, reflecting a lower cost of production.

Main types of renewable energy

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

You can read more about renewable energy here.