WHY RENEWABLES ARE IMPORTANT
Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) currently provide about 85% of all the energy use in the US. These resources are being constantly depleted and can't be replaced within any practical time span. How long exactly would these resources last? The remaining amount of a particular resource is often characterized by so-called Reserves-to-Production ratio (R/P).
In a plain language, R/P basically gives us the length of time the reserves would last if its usage continues at the current rate. Here are estimated world total reserves-to-production ratios for the main conventional fuels: oil - 45 years, natural gas - 62 years, coal – 119 years.
Aside from being finite, energy production from fossil fuels results in by-products of combustion, or emissions. These emissions affect the environment and may be causing the climate change. In contrast, renewable energy (RE) resources, as the name implies, are constantly replenished naturally and will never be exhausted. Their use generally has a much lower environmental impact than that of conventional fuels, which is why the technologies that utilize them are often called "green". In addition, RE can boost US energy security by reducing our dependence on the imports. All these factors, coupled with the government incentives and mandates, result in growing public interest in using renewable sources of energy. While many green technologies are large-scale, most of them are also suited to private homes, especially in rural areas. This website provides quick reference information for using alternative power at home.
