Cleaner Environment through Renewable energy - Can we contribute?

Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat etc.

New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) are growing very rapidly worldwide. Wind power is growing at the rate of 30% annually, with a worldwide installed capacity of 157,900 megawatts (MW) in 2009 and is widely used in Europe, Asia, and the United States.At the end of 2009, cumulative global photovoltaic (PV) installations surpassed 21,000 MW and PV power stations are popular in Germany and Spain. Solar thermal power stations operate in the USA and Spain.The world's largest geothermal power installation is The Geysers in California, with a rated capacity of 750 MW. Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involving production of ethanol fuel from sugar cane, and ethanol now provides 18% of the country's automotive fuel.

While most renewable energy projects and production is large-scale, renewable technologies are also suited to small off-grid applications, sometimes in rural and remote areas, where energy is often crucial in human development.

Carbon emissions, which is one of the gravest concerns across the globe today, are a direct result of not only heavy industry and transport but also the average household.The significantly high level of fossil fuel products burnt each and every day is polluting the air and surrounding environments and also contributes to climate change.

The use of natural energy sources to provide heating and electricity is rapidly increasing in popularity among homeowners and is needed to help take the burden off our current dependency on fossil fuels. Kenya has the world's highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20–100 watt) solar power systems sold per year.

Though the capital investments , as of now, for setting up renewable energy systems like Solar Panels,Wind turbines (in coastal regions) etc can be high and it can be difficult to switch our current energy or power supply to the use of renewable energy, over a long term, the investments are easily recovered.

There are numerous advantages relating to the use of natural and renewable energy sources:
* The sun, wind, tides, and geothermal activity are all renewable.
* After the initial cost of; solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal energy systems, the only cost to the consumer relates to any required maintenance.Consumers could even sell excess electricity back to your national grid, if the local laws permit.
* Government grants/subsidies may be available for natural energy projects depending on location.
* Reduced carbon emissions also leads to reduced contribution to Global Warming.
* Individuals can sleep peacefully without worrying over fuel price rises from gas, energy or electricity companies. One could be fully carbon neutral, eliminating his dependency on the remaining reserves of fossil fuels.

While governments are pushing for more and more stringent regulations on the levels of carbon emitted by industrial units , automobiles etc, individual
households should consciously adopt renewable energy for their day to day electricity and hot water requirements.Although many other issues need to be addressed, making the switch is a large step forward in the fight for a cleaner environment.By making the switch to natural and renewable energy sources, we will be doing our part in helping to improve the quality of the environment and the air we breathe. Our tiny contributions at the household levels can cumulatively make a significant impact to the global carbon emissions leading to a happier and cleaner tomorrow.