As energy brokers, our role is to help educate, and below are a few facts on why more than 50% of electricity in the U.S. will be generated by renewable energy by 2030.
Older forms of energy production rely on finite resources
In the U.S., many of the older forms of energy production were adequate to their time, but did not fully take the future into account. They were based on then-abundant resources which were cheap to harvest and convert into energy. These resources were also relatively nearby and, at least at the beginning of energy conversion history, were not known to cause the devastating, environmentally harmful impacts. Over time the energy industry, like many Americans, began to realize the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy.
Why do renewable energy sources make sense for energy companies and consumers?
Although some criticize renewable energy sources as costly to create, they are undoubtedly a long-lasting resource that benefits both energy companies and consumers. There is no theoretical limit to the amount of sunshine, wind, water, and other renewable energy sources that can be harvested and used again and again. For example, the same stream can help produce power for generations instead of “running out” or depleting the amount of water in it. Additionally, there are often various federal, state, and local tax incentives that help defray the cost of using renewable energy sources, which not only help energy companies afford renewable energy sources, but also help them keep prices low for consumers. This contributes to the ability of renewable energy sources to be invested in and proliferate for years to come.
What reason is there to think we’ll reach such a high number of renewable energy sources by 2030?
In an optimistic prediction, NextEra Energy has put down a marker regarding high renewable energy growth in the next decade. Even without delving into the numbers, it makes sense that renewable energy is the wave of the future. Unlike some older forms of energy production, they don’t suffer from worry about a date they will run out. Additionally, governments and populations are much more likely to support the building of a clean energy plant due to its environmentally-friendly nature and lack of output such as smoke, smog, or a derisive smell, which can send property values plummeting and some neighbors’ health issues into a tail spin. No matter what the exact number or percentage of renewable energy sources ends up being in 2030, you can be sure that renewable energy will only be growing over time.
