Are Renewable Energy sources the future?

[Vishnu.Reang]

A few years ago, I believe that renewable sources of energy are not viable, because they are much more expensive when compared to fossil fuels. But the technological advancement in this field has made wind/solar/tidal/geothermal energy very competitive when compared to the other sources. One big issue is with oil. While renewable sources of electricity will be able to replace coal and natural gas in electricity generation, there exists no good alternative for gasoline driven vehicles. EVs are 2-3 times more expensive when compared to gasoline driven vehicles. I just hope that this situation will change in the near future.

[BrewMaster]

the problem in my opinion is not the renewablitiy or the pollution that some energy production methods (such as burning fossil fuel) produce but the problem is the efficiency of these methods.
for example how much energy can burning a gallon of crude oil produce? compare that with a gallon of gas.
how much can a single solar panel produce and what happens when it is cloudy?

i think in the future the focus is going to be more on the efficiency. imagine a single nuclear plant that can power then entire country.

[Rruchi man]

The world will not be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources anytime soon.  I believe that renewable energy sources are meant to coexist or complement fossil fuels. I can only say that the world will definitely experience a decrease in the dependence on fossil fuels. However this is going to happen more in developed nations where they have the resources, policies and enabling environment to adapt and adjust. In underdeveloped countries, hmmm, I don't think so.

No matter how much progress the world has made now with  solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal energy etc we still have a long way to go and lots of ground to cover.  Personally I am delighted that solving climate change issues, ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Soon we'd achieve them

[Leviathan.007]

Yes, definitely. bitcoin and bitcoin miners can be the course of this adoption because there are bitcoin is under pressure from some people who believe bitcoin is consuming too much energy and making the earth warmer. After this stuff happening we can see many major miners are trying to use more renewable energy and decrease the usage of fossil energy in the world. In my idea, the government and the organizations that try to do some progress with renewable will be the most powerful ones, because soon after people find out what they did to earth they will rush to use renewable energy resources.

[Silberman]

The world has been depending on burning fossil fuels for energy, throughout all these years. With dependence on fossil fuels, soon enough these finite materials will be depleted. Not only that, but it also has adverse effects for the environment, everything from air to ocean and land pollution.

Fossil fuels include, coil, oil and natural gas, with the latter being cleaner that oil and coal in terms of emissions. Let's also keep in mind how strenuous of a process it is to extract oil, promoting environmental disasters.

Most common renewable energy sources include, solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal energy and a few others.

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

The main problem with renewable sources is their consistency, for example in the case of the wind you can get a lot of energy form it if the wind is blowing strong but none if there is no wind, and you cannot have a country stop just because there is no wind, so I think we could get through a point in which the majority of the energy is generated by renewable sources but we are still going to need some fossil energy sources so we have a backup in the case renewable sources are not generating enough energy for a few days.

[Clairvoyance]

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

It might but most of the energy source we have today are powered by Coal and Natural Gas. World Data on Renewable Energy  So far most countries opt to use renewables depending on its geographical location and energy yield. If developments regarding efficiency and power delivery are being enhanced exponentially yearly we might achieve it.

My best bet is Tokamak will be available to provide a massive leap in our energy crisis. Thus, solving our power needs and might lead to even new frontiers.

[teosanru]

The world has been depending on burning fossil fuels for energy, throughout all these years. With dependence on fossil fuels, soon enough these finite materials will be depleted. Not only that, but it also has adverse effects for the environment, everything from air to ocean and land pollution.

Fossil fuels include, coil, oil and natural gas, with the latter being cleaner that oil and coal in terms of emissions. Let's also keep in mind how strenuous of a process it is to extract oil, promoting environmental disasters.

Most common renewable energy sources include, solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal energy and a few others.

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

I think the only way this goal can be achieved is solar energy. solar is really the only real unlimited energy which we are really wasting. Also there are very minimal effects on the nature if we use this energy. Infact if solar energy is used on Massive scale it could even result in reduction of global warming altogether. And I am pretty much sure that we will be using methods to use this energy the most. Home solar panels are already the new cool where everyone is focused on making this one time investment, sooner or later we could be self sufficient in our power needs.

[Sithara007]

My best bet is Tokamak will be available to provide a massive leap in our energy crisis. Thus, solving our power needs and might lead to even new frontiers.

I have heard a lot about Tokamak. But the truth is that after more than half a century of research, the technology is still not safe enough to produce electricity on a large scale. Some two dozen or so Tokamak reactors are currently operational. But all of them are either research or experimental reactors. In theory, nuclear fusion is one of the best methods to generate electricity without any environmental damage. But I am afraid that we are at least a few decades away from doing that outside research purposes.

[Golftech]

The world has been depending on burning fossil fuels for energy, throughout all these years. With dependence on fossil fuels, soon enough these finite materials will be depleted. Not only that, but it also has adverse effects for the environment, everything from air to ocean and land pollution.

Fossil fuels include, coil, oil and natural gas, with the latter being cleaner that oil and coal in terms of emissions. Let's also keep in mind how strenuous of a process it is to extract oil, promoting environmental disasters.

Most common renewable energy sources include, solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal energy and a few others.

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

I think the only way this goal can be achieved is solar energy. solar is really the only real unlimited energy which we are really wasting. Also there are very minimal effects on the nature if we use this energy. Infact if solar energy is used on Massive scale it could even result in reduction of global warming altogether. And I am pretty much sure that we will be using methods to use this energy the most. Home solar panels are already the new cool where everyone is focused on making this one time investment, sooner or later we could be self sufficient in our power needs.

I also starting my journey using this system and from where am I where electricity is really expensive, the risk

of buying solar panels and other devices to make this system works is not that cheap. But from this previous

generations of electricity where i can enjoy unlimited energy without worrying for another high monhtly bills

I think solar energy if being focused well, may be a big help for communities.

[ethereumhunter]

I also starting my journey using this system and from where am I where electricity is really expensive, the risk

of buying solar panels and other devices to make this system works is not that cheap. But from this previous

generations of electricity where i can enjoy unlimited energy without worrying for another high monhtly bills

I think solar energy if being focused well, may be a big help for communities.

If the cost to buy solar panels is not too expensive, people will prefer to buy that and will install at their home to reduce the electricity fee. But unfortunately, not many people can buy solar panels and can only use the current electricity they already used years ago. But I am sure that in the future, when the raw materials price to make solar panels is reduced, the cost will also reduce.

[Cnut237]

If we can improve efficiency and create new tech to lower the cost, then it will be cheaper in the future. I think it's just how tech works. Just take a look at the computer market for example. You can find a fast processor for under $100 now, which can compete with the top 10 CPUs in the 90s, and so on. Tech will improve, so time will tell whether we can solve that problem or not.

Unless it was monopolized, and the government doesn't support innovation, I don't think lowering the cost will be a huge problem.

It's a two-part issue. Whilst renewables are getting cheaper, non-renewables will also become increasingly expensive as easy-to-reach reserves become ever more depleted.
Green, renewable energy certainly should be the future from an environmental, climate-change angle... but I think it will be the future not because it is better morally, but because as costs drop and the costs of non-renewables rise, it will be cheaper. Money tends to be the driver of decision-making.

A few posters have mentioned nuclear fusion, and this is of course the end goal. While the joke is that this is always a couple of decades away, there have been some major advances recently and some quite innovative new designs, notably from CFS (a spin-off from MIT)... they hope their new compact design can demonstrate net gain by 2025. There is at least the possibility of a commercial reactor within the near(ish) future. I remain optimistic.

[perryxi2]

In my opinion these are the energy sources of the future, because most of the resources such as coal, oil, .... we humans have exploited are increasingly exhausted and if there is no alternative resource. OK. It is very possible that one day humanity will return to the primitive age without electricity without modern devices as it is now. but currently it is very limited and is only widely used in developed countries with modern scientific technology.

[Hydrogen]

A case could be made for renewable energy representing the future, due to them producing energy more affordably in contrast to fossil fuel based energy.

But there is future technology with the potential to generate power more affordably than current day renewables.

A catalyst could someday be found to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen more efficiently. Paving the way to a hydrogen based economy becoming more sustainable. There are researchers who are actively pursuing this, as far as I know. Every few years one of them claims a breakthrough.

Methane based solutions could gain favor due to methane being more damaging a greenhouse gas than carbon, per gram. Burning methane I think produces carbon which is better for the environment than methane is.

If closed loop steam engines powered by sunlight could be developed. I think they would have a cleaner carbon footprint than current renewables. The way it might work is, big mirrors focus sunlight on a steam boiler. Using special materials to insulate and contain the heat. Water (or molten salt at very high temperatures) boils producing steam. Which drives the engine. In a perfect world, the boiled water would be recollected in a closed loop so water wouldn't need to constantly be added. The good thing about steam engines is they can last 100+ years. While the longevity of windmills and solar panels is far shorter.

There's a list of potential future energy sources, which could be developed if science continues to progress.

[magneto]

There is no doubt.

The electrical vehicle (EV) industry has been gaining a lot of traction and will only continue to do so into the future. Investors are just becoming more environmentally conscious in general by the day regardless of the area we are talking about.

However, be careful of the fact that adoption of renewable energy doesn't necessarily equal an increase in the stock price of certain EV makers or whatnot. They are very loosely correlated.

[Xinarae*]

Renewable energy is on this planet and it still is most parts of the planet provide this kind of energy. The biggest flaw they have is the pollution they cause during their use and disposal environmental pollution leads to serious environmental problems and well known climate change but before investing, we need to analyze the market and be aware of the market environment as much as we are aware of the market environment. In the future the demand for electricity will increase five times which can be the only solution at the same time, the problem of greenhouse gas emissions can be solved.

[noorman0]

I see that innovations about renewable energy sources are actually starting to be discovered by people without education degrees around the world and unfortunately the government doesn't even pay attention to it and doesn't even bother to make further research studies.

Like a non-formal education dormitory in my area, because they don't want the government to intervene in any financing, including subsidized energy sources, they make their own hydropower-based electricity network which has been used as the main electricity supplier both in the dormitory to the houses of local residents for many years to date.

[Ucy]

The world has been depending on burning fossil fuels for energy, throughout all these years. With dependence on fossil fuels, soon enough these finite materials will be depleted. Not only that, but it also has adverse effects for the environment, everything from air to ocean and land pollution.

Fossil fuels include, coil, oil and natural gas, with the latter being cleaner that oil and coal in terms of emissions. Let's also keep in mind how strenuous of a process it is to extract oil, promoting environmental disasters.

Most common renewable energy sources include, solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, tidal energy and a few others.

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

The renewable energy sources you listed could be as bad as the effects fossil fuel and others have to the world if used wrongly. I have identified few issues with 2 in the list, and they can easily be proven. I won't be surprised if others have worst problems.

What is important is to use the natural resources safely. I guess it's very important that qualified people in this area look for ways to extract them safely and what the minimum amount that can be considered safe for extraction. They should be produced and used in ways that is safe for humans and our world.

[Kong Hey Pakboy]

Yes it is the future, with renewable resources, we will be able to survive with just those things because the energy source for renewable energy is everywhere unlike the current fossil fuel that we use where mining is needed and destruction of the environment. There's a good video by Kurzgezagt that tackles this although they focus on nuclear energy.

[Kittygalore]

Renewable energy is on this planet and it still is most parts of the planet provide this kind of energy. The biggest flaw they have is the pollution they cause during their use and disposal environmental pollution leads to serious environmental problems and well known climate change but before investing, we need to analyze the market and be aware of the market environment as much as we are aware of the market environment. In the future the demand for electricity will increase five times which can be the only solution at the same time, the problem of greenhouse gas emissions can be solved.

Renewable energy doesn't emit pollution, I mean why would they advocate the use of it if it's can contribute to pollution? Maybe the manufacturing of some of them is probably bad but given how there's a lot of innovations in the field, it's unlikely they contribute that much, when was the last time you've seen a solar panels emit smoke and dangerous funes in the atmosphere?

[davis196]

The big question here is, can the world be 100% dependent on renewable energy sources? How can that be achieved and are they sustainable?

Definitely yes,but the technology has to be way more effective and affordable,which is totally achievable in the next decades.
Another great idea is nuclear power plants,that are using thorium instead of uranium.Thorium is way more accessible than uranium and the nuclear waste from thorium is way less,compared to the nuclear waste of uranium.I know that nuclear power plants using thorium have been tested in the USA without any issues,but the project has been abandoned.
Geothermal energy also has huge potential,but the cost of draining is very high.