Renewable Energy – BBC Bitesize

We have made great progress on renewable energy in Wales and around the world.

These are natural sources of energy that will never run out and that produce very little or no greenhouse gases. The ones that worsen climate change.

Until the 18th century, most people lived in rural areas, engaged in agriculture and small-scale production of goods.

But as we began to produce on a large scale, more people moved to cities and took jobs in factories and mines. We also began to use a lot more energy, which came from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

Fossil fuels are a finite resource, which means that sooner or later they will be completely depleted.

They also release a lot of greenhouse gases.

Because these changes occur at different times in different countries, some countries burn fossil fuels longer than others.

The UK was one of the first countries, so it can be said that we have a big responsibility to solve this problem.

Renewable energy plays a very important role in reducing greenhouse gases.

There are different benefits and limitations to each type of renewable energy. Let’s look at them.

Solar power converts sunlight directly into energy.

It does not produce greenhouse gases, but produces less energy in cloudy weather and produces no energy at night, meaning that in Wales the amount of energy produced varies significantly between summer and winter.

Giant turbines harness the power of the wind to generate electricity.

Like solar energy, wind energy does not produce greenhouse gases.

There are ongoing discussions about their impact on the view of the sea and surrounding areas, as well as whether they produce energy when the wind is not blowing.

But luckily Wales is often very windy!

Dams generate hydropower from water flowing through them.

The process does not produce greenhouse gas emissions and is fairly reliable, but requires flooding a large area, which can have a negative impact on the local environment.

The dams are largely made of concrete, which produces greenhouse gases during construction. But they would work well for many rivers in Wales.

Biomass is material produced by plants and animals that we can convert into energy by burning.

Burning biomass reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. However, it does emit small amounts of greenhouse gases.

Land used for breeding wildlife or growing food will also be lost if it is used to grow biomass.

Hydrogen fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity.

They do not emit any greenhouse gases.

However, hydrogen production often involves the use of fossil fuels and can be difficult to store.

Avoiding fossil fuels and using renewable sources will be extremely helpful in the fight against climate change.

However, sectors such as steelmaking and mining still rely heavily on fossil fuels and many people in Wales are dependent on jobs in these areas.

Fortunately, an increasing proportion of energy in Wales and the UK comes from renewable sources.

For example, at Pen y Cymoedd there is a wind farm consisting of over 70 turbines.

Technology is also developing and the more time and attention we devote to it, the better and cheaper it becomes.

Solar energy is now cheaper than producing it from fossil fuels.

And because solar energy has advanced so much, it now makes sense even in rainy climates like ours.