When it comes to solar energy companies, there is a lot to discuss. Where do they source their materials, who becomes a solar installer, and why is solar energy important. . . The list of questions can go on and on. Still, one of the more interesting questions to ask is, “Why is solar energy renewable?”
Although the term has been associated with solar companies almost since its inception, many people are still unaware of what this designation actually means. With the help of evolvsolar.com, we hope to educate the masses on exactly what renewable energy is and why solar energy is considered to be renewable. Let’s start at the beginning, which is understanding why we need energy in the first place.
Why Do We Need Energy?
Every living creature needs some amount of energy to continue its existence. When you touch your skin and feel warmth, you are feeling the loss of energy from within your body through an exothermic reaction. This is the energy that our bodies create, which is derived from the materials we eat and the actions we perform.
So, in some sense, we need energy to produce more energy. But, we also need energy to keep ourselves safe. For instance, a fire is basically just observable energy, and we used this resource to keep ourselves warm during winter and also prepare our food, among the many other aspects of our lives that it has played a role in.
And, all of this energy consumption is only what we can attribute equally to dolphins, people or insects. Once we get into the modern era of vehicles, computers, airplanes and other electrical devices, we can begin to see why energy has become such an important topic, as these things all require vast amounts of energy to function.
Where Does Energy Come From?
There’s a fair amount of science that could be involved with this answer, but we’ll stick to the basics. Energy is present in all matter, but some things have more power than others. The static electricity that builds on your clothes in the dryer, for instance, is one example of energy transfer, which is relatively minimal. The energy contained in millennia-old subterranean liquid (oil) is significantly greater.
Two things are worth noting about energy. The first is that it cannot be created or destroyed, meaning that everything is essentially trading energy. The second is that all things strive to create equilibrium or a lack of change, meaning that something with too little energy will seek more, and vice versa.
Why is Some Energy Renewable?
Interestingly, the term renewable energy is a bit of a misnomer. After all, we aren’t creating new energy (see above) when we use renewable resources. We are still taking it from somewhere else, using it for whatever purpose and then letting it dissipate back into the environment. So why are some techniques renewable and not others?
Well, when it comes to the energy harvested by solar companies, it is considered a virtually never-ending supply. The sun can’t help but send out its rays, they will continue until the sun dies, and our planet will always be in the way of at least a portion of them. Essentially what this means is that we do not have to worry about where the energy comes from.
With things like natural gas or crude oil, however, the energy is finite. It likely also comes from the sun in a roundabout way, but in harvesting it, we are also fundamentally changing how our planet works. These materials are an important part of the process our planet goes through to renew itself and continue operating as it should.