The energy we use comes from many sources, including coal, fossil gas, solar, wind, and biomass. Renewables—like sunlight and wind—do not burn fuel and do not create pollution, which means they do not produce any heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
Renewable energy offers many benefits to our communities, society, and environment. Some of these include:
Economic Benefits
Solar and wind power are increasingly the lowest-cost new electricity sources. This trend is expected to continue as technology improves, manufacturing and project costs decline, and economies of scale increase.
Environmental Benefits
The most obvious benefit of switching to renewable energy is its potential to reduce climate change. While reducing our dependence on fossil fuels won’t eliminate existing global warming, it will significantly slow it.
It also reduces air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter, which cause respiratory diseases and other health issues. Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, so limiting its presence is good for human health.
In addition, renewable energy uses less water than fossil fuels, which helps alleviate concerns about drought and water scarcity. Although hydroelectric and biofuel plants still require some water for cooling, their overall impact on river ecosystems is far lower than that of coal, nuclear, or gas power plants.