Essay Sample on Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Renewable Energy

Renewable energy has been a booming topic in today's world, trying to create a healthy place for future generations to come, but it also comes with some issues. Although renewable energy is great for the environment and supplies jobs. It also has many flaws like being very costly and requiring certain conditions that are not always available. Renewable energy is energy that is made from natural processes that do not run out. One example of this is solar energy. This energy can be used to power homes, cars, and more. When using renewable energy, a lot less pollutant is put into the air.  

To start off, renewable energy would play a major role in helping the environment. The author states, “Renewable energy does not emit greenhouse gases.” (Jouy Plantet) This greenhouse gases are what is used to contain the heat on the Earth, but too much greenhouse gas can cause issue. An abundant amount of greenhouse gas would lead to the temperature increasing at rates that are out of control. This is called global warming. Also, another benefit is hydroelectric power has more of a use than just for electricity. The author states, “Hydropower provides benefits beyond electricity generation by providing flood control, irrigation support, and clean drinking water.” (Energy GOV) Hydroelectric power also can help prevent floods to certain areas that are commonly at risk. This would make it clear to see that the money spent on renewable energy would be well worth it due to the fact you can fix two problems at one time. 

Continuing, replacing nonrenewable energy with renewable energy would have a very positive effect on the economy. One of the economic effects is it would create a lot of jobs. The author states, “Despite shifting energy policy, the clean energy economy remains a big source of jobs – at 4 million, with wind and solar jobs outpacing those in coal.” (EDF) This would help lower the unemployment rate across America. These numbers could grow even larger with other renewable energy sources needing people to tend to them. Another economic effect is that it would raise the Global GDP. The text says, “It finds that doubling the share of renewables by 2030 would bring a range of positive impacts including an increase in global gross domestic product (GDP) up to 1.1 percent, improvement of global welfare by 3.7 percent and over 24 million people working in the renewable energy sector.” (IRENA) That 1.1 percent would be equivalent to 1.3 trillion US dollars. This rise in the GDP would show the economy has moved forward and made progress. Using renewable energy would not only benefit the environment but would also play a major role in bettering the economy for the entirety of the world. 

On the other hand, renewable energy poses many issues when trying to become 100% green. To be completely reliant on renewable energy, we would need an exceptionally large amount of area. The article says, “Solar and wind power needs around 40-50 times more space than coal and 90-100 times more space than gas.” (PHYS) This poses engineers and governments with a major challenge to find land that is prime for renewable energy. This land also had to be reasonably close to where it is distributing the power, due to the loss of electricity over a large amount of space. Another challenge is the energy is not always available in places. The author states, “This variability of wind and solar power introduces unique challenges to those who must maintain the constant balance between energy supply and demand required for a stable electric power grid.” (ESRL) For example, if a huge turbine farm is not able to get winds the city could face major power shortages, unless they are able to create large batteries to store the energy long enough if an issue arises. Another example is solar energy, during night you clearly are going to need to have energy stored up, but what happens if it rains all day? Will the battery last long enough to support your house or will you be left with no power? These are questions many people ask when considering switching to renewable energy. They want to ensure that they have a reliable energy source that works all hours of the day. 

Adding on, the cost that comes with renewable energy is an exceptionally hefty sum. One example of an expensive renewable energy source is wind turbines.The author states, “As big as they are, it’s no secret that these wind-powered monsters are expensive.” On average a commercial wind turbine costs around 2.6 million to 4 million dollars to buy one. This does not include the expensive upkeep of the turbine. The maintenance alone costs around $45,000 a year. Changing to renewable energy would require a large initial investment on top of the annual fees to keep it in operation. To switch to 100% percent renewable energy an extremely large amount of money would need to be spent. The author states, “A global effort to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 would cost nations $73 trillion upfront” (Yale) This would be equal to every person in the US giving $220,000. The cost of switching would be too large of a cost for the world to agree on. This amount of money is almost equal to the entire world's GDP, which is 84 trillion. Overall, going 100% green would be an arduous task due to the extreme costs associated with it. 

To conclude, even though there are many negatives that come when trying to switch to renewable energy, the positives clearly over way it. Renewable energy would provide a way safer environment for the future of the world by lowering the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. It would also be beneficial to the economy by supplying many jobs, lowering the unemployment rate. All in all, it is clear to see the world would be a better place if we took a stand and switched to renewable energy.