Industry, transportation, urban development, agriculture, and most human activities are closely tied to the amount and type of energy available. Historically, the availability of energy resources has been limited by the distribution of fossil fuels. Advances in renewable energy generation and distribution present countless opportunities for economic growth and job creation.
For resources in addition to those featured below, follow these links:
Renewable energy provides countless opportunities for economic growth, job creation, improving quality of life and much more.
Ask for renewable energy from your power company. The only way renewable energy generation will increase is with increasing demand.
Energy 101: Solar Photovoltaic
A two-minute video explaining how photovoltaic (PV) solar panels make electricity. The advantages of solar PV as an alternative energy source are mentioned.
Energy 101: Wind Turbines
This three minute video explains how wind turbines generate electricity. The advantages of wind power as an alternative energy solution are mentioned.
Learn about the Smart Grid from the Department of Energy
There are many myths and misunderstandings about the smart grid and how it will help us move into a sustainable energy future. This page is full of resources to help you learn the facts about and the actions you can take to move us toward the smart grid.
Wind for Homeowners, Farmers, and Businesses
Ever wonder what it would be like to have wind power at your home, farm, or business? In one convenient place, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy arm of the Department of Energy has assembled the latest, greatest, and most relevant information.
Renewables Roundup—Earth: The Operators’ Manual
Just how much energy can Sun, hydropower, biomass and geothermal offer? This video sets a target of seeing whether, in principle, renewable energy resources could meet today’s global energy needs of about 15.7 terawatts.
©EARTH: The Operators Manual
Wind: Switch Energy Project
To get a substantial portion of our electricity from wind means building hundreds of thousands of turbines. They’re affordable, so we could do that. But we usually don’t live in the windiest areas, so we’ll also need to build transmission lines—which is harder than building the wind farm itself. If the wind stops blowing when we need the power, we’ve got to replace it quickly with some other generation. Hopefully, challenges of siting, transmission, and backup generation won’t make this clean, affordable resource, unaffordable.
Geothermal: Switch Energy Project
There are three types of geothermal energy. In a few places, high temperatures from within the earth are naturally concentrated near the surface—a fantastic resource. Elsewhere, we’re experimenting with drilling deeper wells, fracturing the rock, and then circulating water to bring up heat. Finally, there’s ‘low temperature,’ using the constant temperature just below the surface to heat or cool a building. These last two are more widely available, but cost prohibitive today.