renewable energy

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Geothermal power station

A panoramic countryside landscape is divided into sections illustrating different energy sources: wind with turbines and a windmill, water with a hydroelectric dam and watermill, sunlight with solar panels on a house and solar cells, food with animals pulling wagons and grazing, oil, coal, and natural gas with a red car, a furnace, and a jet plane, and uranium with a nuclear power plant in the distance. A river runs through the scene, and a sailboat is on the water.

The Transition to Renewable Energy Explained by Phil the Fixer

Concentrated solar-power plant

World map color-coded to show photovoltaic solar power potential, with higher potential indicated by warmer colors such as orange and red, and lower potential by cooler colors such as green and blue. Regions with the highest solar energy potential include parts of western North America, northern and southern Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and parts of South America, while areas with lower potential are found in northern Europe, Russia, and parts of Canada. The map includes a scale for daily

Labeled diagram of a wind turbine showing its main components, including blades attached to a rotor, nacelle housing gears and generator, controller, yaw drive and motor, power cable, and tower, with an anemometer on top.

United States: 17.1% renewable energy breakdown (2017)

View to learn about renewable energy, its types, and also how the coronavirus pandemic has changed energy consumption and production patterns

Harnessing wave power: The Pelamis generator

At a Glance

Combination shot of Grinnell Glacier taken from the summit of Mount Gould, Glacier National Park, Montana in the years 1938, 1981, 1998 and 2006.

Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Global Warming

Geothermal power station

alternative energy summary

renewable energy: Media

Videos

The Transition to Renewable Energy Explained by Phil the Fixer

The Transition to Renewable Energy Explained by Phil the Fixer

Learn more about climate change and the transition to renewable energy in this interview...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

View to learn about renewable energy, its types, and also how the coronavirus pandemic has changed energy consumption and production patterns

View to learn about renewable energy, its types, and also how the coronavirus pandemic has changed energy consumption and production patterns

Learn how the coronavirus pandemic has changed energy consumption patterns and how...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Harnessing wave power: The Pelamis generator

Harnessing wave power: The Pelamis generator

Overview of efforts to create usable energy from waves, including a discussion of...

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail ScottishPower Renewables

Images

Geothermal power station

Geothermal power station

A geothermal power station in Iceland that creates electricity from heat generated...

© Barbara Whitney

A panoramic countryside landscape is divided into sections illustrating different energy sources: wind with turbines and a windmill, water with a hydroelectric dam and watermill, sunlight with solar panels on a house and solar cells, food with animals pulling wagons and grazing, oil, coal, and natural gas with a red car, a furnace, and a jet plane, and uranium with a nuclear power plant in the distance. A river runs through the scene, and a sailboat is on the water.

Energy resources

Significant energy resources that power human activities.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Concentrated solar-power plant

Concentrated solar-power plant

Nevada Solar One, a concentrated solar-power plant.

PRNewsFoto/ACCIONA/AP Images

World map color-coded to show photovoltaic solar power potential, with higher potential indicated by warmer colors such as orange and red, and lower potential by cooler colors such as green and blue. Regions with the highest solar energy potential include parts of western North America, northern and southern Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and parts of South America, while areas with lower potential are found in northern Europe, Russia, and parts of Canada. The map includes a scale for daily

Solar energy potential

Earth's photovoltaic power potential.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

Labeled diagram of a wind turbine showing its main components, including blades attached to a rotor, nacelle housing gears and generator, controller, yaw drive and motor, power cable, and tower, with an anemometer on top.

Wind turbine

Components of a wind turbine.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

United States: 17.1% renewable energy breakdown (2017)

United States: 17.1% renewable energy breakdown (2017)

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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