In 2017,3.7 billion tonsof carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted into the atmosphere from fossil fuels.
有一个全世界的努力to combat climate change by decreasing emissions. One method for accomplishing that goal is to begin using more renewable energy.
可再生能源的好处是众多，超越了减少排放。可再生能源影响我们的公共和经济健康。
不确定如何做到这一切？继续阅读以了解一切。
What is Renewable Energy?
这best way to understand renewable energy is energy derived from a source that doesn’t deplete. This is in contrast to fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a finite resource because of how they’re sourced and created.
可再生能源来自元素或地球本身。一些例子是：
- 风
- 沼气（例如废水处理蒸煮气体或垃圾填埋气）
- 波浪和潮汐力量
- 低冲击力水电
- 太阳能（太阳能热，光伏）
- Geothermal
- 生物量
这se sources are in abundance and won’t run out as we harness them for power. For example, the wind and sun are infinite resources. Some of them are already being used to produce power.
可再生能源的好处
Renewable energy has economic, environmental, public health benefits, and more. Below we’ve listed the top 7 benefits of renewable energy in greater detail.
1。Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Alternative energy sources allow us to power homes, cars, businesses, and public spaces without the use of fossil fuels. But why are fossil fuels so bad?
这majority of scientistsstudying climate change agree that the main cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect. This is the result of certain gases in the atmosphere blocking heat from escaping. The heat gets trapped in the atmosphere and radiates back toward earth instead of being released into space.
这biggest gas contributing to this problem is CO2. This gas occurs naturally from things like volcanic eruptions and respiration. However, human activities have greatly increased the concentration of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere.
森林砍伐和土地利用是2人类活动，有助于二氧化碳积累。但比燃烧的化石燃料如煤和石油更糟糕。实际上，燃烧的化石燃料也产生了一氮氧化物 - 另一个强大的温室气体导致气候变化。
Renewable energy sources drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions because they don’t require the burning of fossil fuels. This can help limit the effects of climate change.
生物量, for example, replaces fossil fuels completely. It uses repurposes agricultural and restaurant waste to power vehicles. That means those vehicles don’t use fossil fuels plus, it reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills.
2.成本效益
切换到更新的主要阻碍之一able energy sources is the cost. Setting up and constructing the infrastructure for renewable energy sources is costly. However, the amount of money saved in long-term energy costs promises a high return on the initial investment.
In addition, the cost of可再生能源will continue to go down. But how can that be?
虽然化石燃料是通过自然资源生产的，但通过技术生产可再生能源。煤炭和天然气必须精制和发布，涉及劳动力和运输等成本。
Renewable energies harness the power of widely available (and free) sources such as light, water, and air. Similar new, clean technologies – such as thisdc brushed motor- 使用磁力等创新可再生方法。
虽然化石燃料的成本取决于劳动力和其他市场波动的可用性，但可再生能源的成本将受益于技术进步。随着技术变得更好，价格将继续下跌。
3.。Job Creation
Building the infrastructure for renewable energy sources creates jobs and contributes to a healthy economy. The production of renewable energy also tends to be more labor-intensive than fossil fuel. That means more jobs in utility companies as well as people who manufacture parts like wind turbines and solar panels.
4.。Reduce National Energy Dependence
In 2017,over 10 million barrelsof petroleum coming from 84 different countries were imported to the US. These countries control pricing and availability. That makes the market unpredictable.
Reducing that dependence on imported oil can help make the US energy independent. As technology improves and the sources of renewable energy are more accessible, moving toward energy independence can strengthen the US economy.
5. Reduce Personal Energy Dependence
因为气候变化导致更极端的天气，我们在电网上给了更极端的压力。使用更多heat in the winterand more air conditioning the summer outs a lot of stress on the grid.
To compensate, brownouts or rolling blackouts have been implemented in some areas. If your home is powered by the electrical grid, you have no control over the times your home doesn’t have electricity. But switching to a renewable energy source can change that dependence.
For example,installing solar panelsallows you to create your own energy. That means you’re not reliant on utility companies – in fact, they may end up paying you for some of your power.
6. Diversify Energy Sources
多样化能源来源使美国更经济地安全。
It’s similar to how an investor diversifies a portfolio in order to minimize risk. Relying on 1 source makes them vulnerable to disruptions or shocks. Having different investments that are unlikely to fail at once makes them more secure.
这与能源安全性相同。石油，天然气和煤炭受到导致价格徒步旅行的市场力量。它们也受到逻辑政府和冲突的影响。
By having a diverse mix of energy sources, the US economy is less affected by those shocks. They can absorb shocks from 1 energy source by replacing it with another.
7. Improve Public Health
Burning fossil fuels affects our physical health. Every year,52,000 peopledie prematurely due to air pollution from power generation. And the US spends over $5 billion in health costs related to premature births from fossil fuel emissions.
通过切换到可再生能源，我们可以改善环境的健康和生活中的人民。
Are You Living Green?
可再生能源的好处具有经济影响以及环境一体。使我们的能源使我们的能源更加可再生能源将在长期节省资金并在短期内创建工作。它可以改善公共卫生以及其成本，减少进入我们氛围的化石燃料的数量。
你也可以在家里做些事情。Check out our blogfor ideas on how to live more green.
