Sustainable Energy

Sustainable energy is defined as the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as tidal power, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity, solar energy, and bioenergy. The world is in need of more sustainable energy. New technologies are being developed and expanding on to aid in preserving the earth and going green. A personal survey showed that 10 out of 10 people agreed that sustainable energy is the best solution for the future. Although there are a few concerns with trying to make sustainable energy a main source of energy, the positive future effects outweigh them. I also asked the question, “With limited natural resources, do you think that sustainable energy will be able to produce enough energy to fit our everyday growing needs?” Seven out of 10 people agreed that although the natural resources are limited, with growing technology and innovative ideas they believe that the sources will be enough to produce the energy needed. The other 3 out of 10 disagreed and stated that the human population is growing too fast and the demand for energy is far greater than the means of what the substantial energy can produce. The demand is far greater than the product produced. Did you know that U.S. wind power grew by 50% in 2008 and accounted for 42% of all new power generation in the United States last year? Wind energy could supply at least 20% of U.S. electricity needs by 2030 while avoiding 7.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide. Another interesting fact is that biomass is presently the largest U.S. renewable energy source with more than 200 existing bio power plants now providing electricity for 1.5 million American homes. Though accounting for only five percent of the world’s population, Americans consume 26% of the world’s energy. Sustainable energy methods have been