Science
Renewable Energy Sources
Major renewable and emerging clean energy sources with their global contribution, advantages, and limitations.
energyscienceclimaterenewablesustainability
12 of 12 rows
Name↕ | Type↕ | Global Share %↕ | Advantages↕ | Disadvantages↕ | Leading Country↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar PV | Solar | 4.5 | Abundant, rapidly falling costs, scalable from rooftop to utility | Intermittent (no sun at night), requires energy storage, land use | China |
| Onshore Wind | Wind | 6 | Cost-competitive with fossil fuels, mature technology | Intermittent, visual impact, noise, bird/bat mortality | China |
| Offshore Wind | Wind | 0.5 | Stronger and more consistent winds, less visual impact | High installation and maintenance costs, complex logistics | United Kingdom |
| Hydroelectric | Hydro | 15 | Reliable baseload power, long lifespan, energy storage via pumped hydro | Ecosystem disruption, displacement of communities, drought vulnerability | China |
| Geothermal | Geothermal | 0.4 | Constant baseload power, small footprint, very low emissions | Geographically limited, high upfront drilling costs | United States |
| Biomass | Bioenergy | 2.3 | Uses organic waste, can produce heat and electricity | Carbon emissions when burned, land use competition with food crops | United States |
| Tidal | Marine | 0.01 | Highly predictable and reliable, long operational lifespan | Very high capital cost, limited suitable locations, marine ecosystem impact | South Korea |
| Wave | Marine | 0.001 | Vast untapped resource, predictable patterns | Technology still early-stage, harsh ocean conditions damage equipment | United Kingdom |
| Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) | Solar | 0.1 | Built-in thermal storage allows generation after sunset | Requires direct sunlight (desert climates), high water usage for cooling | Spain |
| Green Hydrogen | Hydrogen | 0.03 | Zero-emission fuel for hard-to-decarbonize sectors (steel, shipping) | Energy-intensive to produce, storage and transport challenges | Australia |
| Nuclear Fusion (Emerging) | Nuclear | 0 | Virtually limitless fuel, no long-lived radioactive waste, no meltdown risk | Not yet commercially viable, enormous R&D costs, decades from deployment | United States |
| Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) | Nuclear | 0 | Factory-built, flexible siting, enhanced passive safety, lower upfront cost | Regulatory hurdles, waste disposal concerns, public perception challenges | United States |
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