Renewable Energy is energy that replensishes within a human timescale or lifespan. Materials like oil & coal can take millions of years to form, making it a fossil fuel. renewable energy is more expensive to produce and use then fossil fuels, making it hard to switch over. Renewable Energy also doesn't produce any greenhouse gasses, whereas fossil fuels do. Renewable Energy is a good alternative to fossil fuels, but it will take time for them to put to greater usage. United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that renewable energy has the ability to lift the poorest nations to new levels of prosperity.
One example of renewable energy is wind power; using creating energy by letting wind pass by a turbine. A similar form of energy is hydropower. Water is over eight hundred times denser than air, so it produces massive amounts of energy when moving. Hydropower is currently one of the biggest renewable energy producers. Biomaterial can also be used to produce energy, material such as wood can be burned in order to produce energy. Another common form of renewable energy is solar power, using solar panels in order to collect the energy from sun beams.
Renewable Energy currently contributes to atleast 20% of the world's energy production. There are estimated to be over 7.7 million jobs in the industry. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy is suited more for rural areas, making it more widespread. The cost of producing energy through renewable energy decreases every year as new technology appears. The country of denmark is currently switching to 100% renewable energy by 2050.
As more technological advances make renewable energy cheaper and more efficient, plans to swap to renewable energy are being made in most major nations. By 2020 renewable energy is predicted to equal coal and natural gas electricity generation. The United States and China are current investing huge amounts of money in renewable energy production, which may increase even further in the near future. Countries are competing in renewable energy production, trying to be the first to completely swap over.