Renewable energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable energy - Essay Example In the 1970 though, the first awareness of the need to raise awareness on the use of natural sources of energy had been realized through the first Earth Day. The said need is due to the discovered negative effect of the scarcity of fuel to power the planet’s need for energy. From the said concern, sustainability had been a trend but is continuously becoming a need (Maczulak, 2009). The study is aimed to explore the concept of renewable energy which specifically includes the definition of the concept, the different types, the effects and the implementation of the methods. Methodology The study is undertaken through library-based research of both primary empirical data and secondary references. The main aim in the search for references to be used in the research is to find sources that generally explore the concept of renewable energy. There are two types of references used namely reference books and journal articles. The reference books are used for the definition of the differ ent concepts and other secondary data while the journal articles are used to gather both primary empirical data and secondary review data. Results The use of renewable energy is related the concept of sustainability which is related to the proper use of resources such as land, clean water, clean air, and the species diversity in nature. One of the main issues of sustainability is the sources of the energy needed to answer the needs of the world. Energy sustainability is the specific concept that targets the efficient use of energy and the implementation of techniques that can both save the two types of energy sources, the natural fuels and the renewable resources (Maczulak, 2009, p.26). Types of Renewable Resource Renewable sources of energy are materials that can be replenished easily such as sun or solar energy; wind power; ocean waves; water flows and tides; heat flows and stored heat; and biomass (Sorensen, 2004, p.210). For each of the said sources of renewable energy, there ar e techniques and methods used to extract and store energy. There effectiveness of the method lies on the application and optimization of available resources. Thus, every nation and locality needs to efficiently use the locally available renewable resources to increase the sustainability and to lessen the costs involved (Wengenmayr and Burhrke, 2008). One of the main renewable energy sources promoted on the basis of sustainability is the solar energy. This is considered as the most basic and readily available. Thus, the technology that can capture, store and utilize the power of the sun can make a significant difference. Different developments regarding the use of solar energy are being undertaken in various places around the world. An example is the development of solar concentrators by the engineers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which will be combined with solar films thus surfaces such as windows can gather solar power (Maczulak, 2009, p.108). In the European region, sustainability and the use of renewable energy sources is considered as an important part of the social policies. In 2007, the use of renewable sources of energy had been set on a comprehensive directive to intensify the 2001 directive thus covering the electrical power, heat and mobility. In Germany, Austria, and Greece, solar thermal usage is the main energy source. Biomass is the main source of energy in France specifically used to answer the heat consumption of the country. In other countries such as Sweden, Finland, and