Regenerative Energy Sources

Solar

• Solar energy converts the sun's rays into energy that can provide light, heat, cooling, electricity and hot water for residential, commercial and agricultural uses. The two most common alternatives include Photovoltaic (PV) solar systems and Concentrate Solar Power (CPS). PV uses solar panels or modules to transform the sun's radiation into power. CPS generates large quantities of electricity for power stations. CPS uses a wide variety of technologies, including PV, parabolic dishes, parabolic troughs and solar towers.

Geothermal

• The geothermal RE resource starts at the Earth's core where hot rocks reach an extreme temperature level. The energy works its way to heat water to within 10 feet below surface grounds. The temperature of this shallow water has a constant average temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The U.S. Department of Energy collaborates with colleges, universities and the private sector to develop innovative strategies and technologies to access geothermal energy and make it available on a mass scale. A system of pipes and pumps draws geothermal energy from the surrounding ground, distributes the energy and returns cool water to the earth.

Biomass

• Biomass refers to the processes that use materials like plants, crops, wood and manure to generate renewable energy. Most biomass technologies use wood as the base material. Basic biomass technology directs the sun's radiation to force a chemical reaction that causes water and carbon dioxide to transform into oxygen gas and glucose. The process emits carbon dioxide gas the same as fossil fuels; however, biomass energy production consumes the same quantity of carbon dioxide as it releases into the environment, which results in a net zero effect on the carbon footprint.

Wind

• The regenerative energy source of wind has been providing power for hundreds of years. Wind power has grinds grains in agricultural operations, pumps water from lakes and rivers and drives heavy-duty production at logging mills. Today, wind turbines create electricity for residential and commercial facilities. Wind farms have turbines that may reach as high as 300 feet in the air. Rotating blades positioned at the tops of towers pull kinetic energy into a shaft. The shaft operates a generator, which makes electricity.

  Modern wind turbines have a device called an anemometer that monitors the wind's speed and force. A mechanism called a yaw motor positions the blades in the direction of the wind. Effective wind energy sources require at least 18 to 20 hours of wind each day.