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  | The Renewable Energy Portal |   |
Introduction Renewable energy (also calledgreen energy) isenergy made fromrenewable natural resources that are replenished on ahuman timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types aresolar energy,wind power, andhydropower.Bioenergy andgeothermal power are also significant in some countries. Some also considernuclear power a renewable power source, although this is controversial, as nuclear energy requires mining uranium, a nonrenewable resource. Renewable energy installations can be large or small and are suited for both urban and rural areas. Renewable energy is often deployed together with furtherelectrification. This has several benefits: electricity canmove heat andvehicles efficiently and is clean at the point of consumption.Variable renewable energy sources are those that have a fluctuating nature, such as wind power and solar power. In contrast,controllable renewable energy sources include dammedhydroelectricity,bioenergy, orgeothermal power.Renewable energy systems have rapidly become more efficient and cheaper over the past 30 years. A large majority of worldwide newly installed electricity capacity is now renewable. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have seen significant cost reductions over the past decade, making them more competitive with traditional fossil fuels. In most countries,photovoltaic solar oronshore wind are the cheapest new-build electricity. From 2011 to 2021, renewable energy grew from 20% to 28% of global electricity supply. Power from the sun and wind accounted for most of this increase, growing from a combined 2% to 10%. Use offossil energy shrank from 68% to 62%. In 2024, renewables accounted for over 30% of global electricity generation and are projected to reach over 45% by 2030. Many countries already have renewables contributing more than 20% of their total energy supply, with some generating over half or even all their electricity from renewable sources. The main motivation to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels is to slow and eventually stopclimate change, which is mostly caused by theirgreenhouse gas emissions. In general, renewable energy sources pollute much less than fossil fuels. TheInternational Energy Agency estimates that to achievenet zero emissions by 2050, 90% of global electricity will need to be generated by renewables. Renewables also cause much lessair pollution than fossil fuels, improving public health, and are lessnoisy. The deployment of renewable energy still faces obstacles, especiallyfossil fuel subsidies,lobbying by incumbent power providers, and local opposition to the use of land for renewable installations. Like all mining, the extraction of minerals required for many renewable energy technologies also results inenvironmental damage. In addition, although most renewable energy sources aresustainable, some are not. (Full article...) Selected article -show another Location of the O'Shaughnessy Dam in California O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot-high (131 m) concretearch-gravity dam inTuolumne County, California, United States. It impounds theTuolumne River, forming theHetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end ofHetch Hetchy Valley inYosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east ofSan Francisco. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over two million people in San Francisco and other municipalities of the westBay Area. The dam is named for engineerMichael O'Shaughnessy, who oversaw its construction. Although San Francisco had sought Tuolumne River water as early as the 1890s, this project did not move forward until the disastrousearthquake and fire of 1906, which underscored the insufficiency of the existing water supply. The Hetch Hetchy Valley – then compared toYosemite Valley for its scenic beauty – was chosen for its water quality andhydroelectric potential, but the location within thenational park generated controversy. An act of Congress was required to circumvent federal protection of the Tuolumne River, with the reasoning thatpublic land should be developed for the public benefit. Construction of the dam started in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the first water delivered in 1934 after numerous delays. From 1935 to 1938, the dam was raised to increase its capacity for water supply and power generation. The dam, aqueduct and appurtenant hydroelectric systems are collectively known as theHetch Hetchy Project. Deriving from a largely wild and pristine area of theSierra Nevada, the Hetch Hetchy supply is some of the cleanest municipal water in the US, requiring only primary filtration and disinfection. (Full article...) Quotations -load new batch
–Lester R. Brown,Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, 2009. Main topicsRenewable energy sourcesGeneralRenewable energy commercialization · Smart grid · Timeline of sustainable energy research 2020–present Renewable energy by countryList of countries by electricity production from renewable sources
WikiProjectsWikiProjects connected with renewable energy: Selected image -show anotherSelected biography -show another.jpg) Lovins in 2011 Amory Bloch Lovins (born November 13, 1947) is an American writer, physicist, and former chairman/chief scientist of theRocky Mountain Institute. He has written onenergy policy and related areas for four decades, and served on theUS National Petroleum Council, an oil industry lobbying group, from 2011 to 2018. Lovins has promotedenergy efficiency, the use ofrenewable energy sources, and the generation of energy at or near the site where the energy is actually used. Lovins has also advocated a "negawatt revolution" arguing that utility customers don't wantkilowatt-hours of electricity; they want energy services. In the 1990s, his work withRocky Mountain Institute included the design of an ultra-efficient automobile, theHypercar. He has provided expert testimony and published 31 books, includingReinventing Fire,Winning the Oil Endgame,Small is Profitable,Brittle Power, andNatural Capitalism. (Full article...) Did you know? -show another... that theOntario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) is anon-profit organization supporting the growth ofrenewable energy and Community Power projects in the Canadian Province ofOntario? OSEA advocated an advanced renewable energyFeed-in Tariff program for Ontario, resulting in the creation of the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program, a precursor to theGreen Energy Act and, in 2007, the most progressive energy policy in North America in a decade. OSEA has approximately 130 community and industry members as well as individual members. General images -load new batchThe following are images from various renewable energy-related articles on Wikipedia.
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![Image 57Concentrated solar panels are getting a power boost. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will be testing a new concentrated solar power system – one that can help natural gas power plants reduce their fuel usage by up to 20 percent.[needs update] (from Solar energy)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPhoto_of_the_Week-_Boosting_Solar_Technology_(8722948189).jpg)
