Renewable Energy Sources

What is a Renewable Energy Source?

Renewable energy sources refer to energy sources that are abundantly found in nature and are continuously renewed through natural processes. Unlike fossil fuels, these energy sources do not form over many years and do not harm nature as much as fossil fuels do while being used. The greatest feature of renewable energy sources is that they are a part of the natural functioning of the world and exist in the physical cycle of the world even when not utilized.

Renewable Energy Sources

1. Hydropower: Gravity originates from the mass of the Earth and has been one of the main elements of our world since its formation. Gravity is effective in all natural processes on Earth, and has a significant role in the water cycle. Hydroelectric energy refers to the production of energy by utilizing surface flows created by the effect of gravity in the water cycle. In this system, dams are built on rivers and streams to store the referred gravitational potential energy, which is then converted into electricity.

2. Geothermal Energy: This type of energy is generated by harnessing the thermal energy produced by hot water trapped underground through natural processes and the steam that results from it, which is used to generate electricity in steam turbines.

3. Solar Energy: The sun has been a source of heat and light for our world since its formation. It has been transmitting energy to our planet for millions of years. This is a completely natural situation that is essential for the continuity of ecosystems on Earth. According to calculations, it can be said that the sun, which will continue to provide energy to our planet for millions of years, is a relatively "infinite" energy source. Solar energy is a type of energy that becomes usable by converting sunlight into electrical energy using solar panels.

4. Wind Energy: Winds are air currents that constantly emerge across the atmosphere, created by the Earth's own natural processes, like the aforementioned energy sources. The primary source of these air currents is the Earth's rotation around its axis and the temperature differences in certain regions of the atmosphere. Wind energy refers to the production of electrical energy from these air currents using massive wind turbines.

5. Biomass: Biomass energy refers to the production of fuels like methane from ecosystem-derived waste that emerges through natural processes such as forest residues, agricultural waste, plant and animal waste, and household waste, and the generation of electricity through the combustion of these fuels via water turbines. Although it benefits from natural processes like other renewable energy sources, biomass energy causes carbon emissions due to its combustion process. Therefore, while it is renewable, it cannot be considered completely clean. However, it can be stated that it is relatively clean compared to other fossil fuels, as the carbon emissions produced are quite low.

6. Tidal and Wave Energy: This type of energy refers to the generation of electricity by utilizing the rise and fall caused by the sun and moon in the seas and oceans of the Earth. It is a relatively new energy source compared to others, so high efficiency has not yet been achieved, but it is a promising energy source.

The Importance of Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy sources are very important for two reasons:

• Sustainability

  The most significant feature of renewable energy sources, as can be inferred from their name, is that they are renewable. They do not diminish any factor from the Earth and the ecosystems on it when used and are energy sources that are quickly replenished through natural processes. In contrast to fossil sources, they do not pose a risk of depletion.

  
  

• Low Carbon Emissions

  One of the biggest factors in choosing renewable energy sources is their very low carbon emissions. With the exception of biomass, direct emissions are close to 0. Therefore, it is vital to use renewable energy sources to protect the environment and slow down global warming.

The Role of Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy sources are actively used today. While renewable sources meet approximately 10% of the world's energy needs, 7% of this amount comes from hydropower plants. The remaining 3% is mostly made up of solar and wind energy.

So why, despite renewable energy sources being so clean and beneficial, are they used so little compared to fossil fuels? We can explain this situation with some disadvantages of renewable energy sources:

• Efficiency: High-tech facilities are required to efficiently extract energy from renewable energy sources. The mentioned technologies are still in the development phase and have a long way ahead. At this point, the time and financial resources spent to obtain energy from these sources currently yield very low energy efficiency compared to fossil fuels.

• Access to Technology: Although the technologies mentioned above are being worked on and used in developed countries, they are difficult to access in developing and technologically lagging countries.

• Development and Maintenance: The technologies developed to obtain efficiency from renewable energy sources are not only very costly in terms of research and development, but also lead to low energy efficiency compared to fossil fuels due to the maintenance costs of the established facilities.

Considering these disadvantages, renewable energy sources, despite their high potential, must still make significant progress in terms of energy efficiency. However, when considering the harm caused by fossil fuel use to the planet, we may expect that concerns about the world's sustainability will peak soon, leading to changes in opinions regarding costs and energy efficiency, and a shift towards renewable energy sources. Given the current trends in global warming, fossil fuel consumption, and sustainability movements worldwide, it can be said that before renewable energy sources become the primary energy source, the increasing environmental concerns will drive this transition.

Renewable Energy Sources and Sustainability

We have mentioned that renewable energy sources cause much less harm to the environment compared to fossil fuels. We have also discussed that the transition to these sources will be driven either by technological advancement or environmental concerns. In this context, there is a significant reason to believe that environmental concerns will be a major factor in using these sources as the primary energy source: Carbon Taxes. 

The CBAM regulations that the EU will fully implement in 2026 foresee that institutions will receive certificates for their carbon emissions and pay a carbon tax proportional to their emissions. In the future, these regulations are expected to allow for cost reductions by reflecting the energy produced from low-emission renewable sources as negative emissions.

Conclusion

Renewable energy sources are seen as the energy source of the future due to their renewability and low carbon emissions in energy production. Although their use is not widespread today due to some disadvantages, it is expected that in the coming period, the benefits will outweigh the challenges, and the world will increasingly turn to these sources. In this context, it is very likely that the EU, which has become very selective regarding carbon emissions in recent years, will accelerate this process with certain regulations. 

In summary, utilizing renewable energy sources is critically important for the future generations to be able to inhabit a livable planet, just as we do.