Encourage the switch to renewable energy.

Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. Take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar.

Background Information
Renewable Energy is energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes cannot be depleted.[1] For this reason, renewable energy sources are fundamentally different from fossil fuels, and do not produce as many greenhouse gases and other pollutants as fossil fuel combustion. Mankind’s traditional uses of wind, water, and solar energy are widespread in developed and developing countries; but the mass production of electricity using renewable energy sources has become more commonplace recently, reflecting the major threats of climate change, exhaustion of fossil fuels, and the environmental, social and political risks of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Consequently, many countries promote renewable energies through tax incentives and subsidies.

Currently, renewable energy accounts for ca. 14% of the world’s energy consumption, but the technical potential is large enough to cover many times current and several times projected energy consumption in 2100 (see below). Renewable technologies such as geothermal and hydropower are often economically competitive without subsidies. Other technologies such as solar power is substantially more expensive, although future costs may decline to a fraction of current levels.

Renewable energy flows involve natural phenomena such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat. Each of these sources has unique characteristics which influence how and where they are used.

The majority of renewable energy technologies are directly or indirectly powered by the Sun. The Earth-Atmosphere system is in equilibrium such that heat radiation into space is equal to incoming solar radiation, the resulting level of energy within the Earth-Atmosphere system can roughly be described as the Earth’s “climate.” The hydrosphere (water) absorbs a major fraction of the incoming radiation. Most radiation is absorbed at low latitudes around the equator, but this energy is dissipated around the globe in the form of winds and ocean currents. Wave motion may play a role in the process of transferring mechanical energy between the atmosphere and the ocean through wind stress.[2] Solar energy is also responsible for the distribution of precipitation which is tapped by hydroelectric projects, and for the growth of plants used to create biofuels.