Scientific developments in the energy industry have started to take over the world. Millions of people around the globe are pushing for cleaner energy and decreasing human impact on climate change. This includes things like renewable energy, and electric cars. People want to decrease their use of fossil fuels and limit their carbon footprint. But what about New Providence, or New Jersey? What are we doing in the renewable energy department?

Well, solar panels are actually widely popular. There are a good amount of people in New Providence, and New Jersey, who own solar panels. They are very useful devices as they cut down your electric bill, while also saving the planet.

But how do they help save the planet? 

They pull energy directly from the sun, and take away from greenhouse gas emissions. The burning of fossil fuels is what produces these greenhouse gases, but fossil fuels are a limited resource. The Earth doesn’t have an infinite supply of fossil fuels, and one day we are going to run out. Fossil fuels also require water to be used, which creates more water pollution. This also means in the event of a drought, or a heat wave, our ability to generate electricity could be at risk. Solar panels, however, can run in any weather, as long as they don’t retain physical damage.

So, besides for the fact that fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, they are also a limited resource and are not foolproof. These are all reasons why clean energy is becoming increasingly important around the globe.

There are many other forms of clean energy in the world and used in New Jersey. New Jersey, actually, issued a Clean Energy Act back in 2018 and has been focused on it since. Its leading source of renewable energy is solar power. However, natural gas and nuclear energy accounted for 94% of its total energy generation. Nuclear energy generation has declined since 2018 when one of New Jersey’s nuclear power plants was shut down. That reactor was the oldest operating reactor in the nation. 

The good news is, New Jersey received less than 1.5% of its utility power generation from coal or other fossil fuels in 2019. This came down from 10% in 2010. That means less CO2 in the atmosphere, and a cleaner Earth. 

There are many other forms of clean energy used in the US, and around the world. The most commonly used form of renewable energy is hydropower. Hydropower is the harnessing of energy from fast moving water. There are also other forms of renewable energy in addition to solar energy, like wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, and biomass energy.

The countries that are leading in renewable energy are China, the US, and Brazil. But, that only takes into account how MUCH energy they are producing. But what about the smaller countries? Countries like Sweden, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua are also leading the charge, aiming to eventually get 100% of their energy from renewable sources. 

Renewable energy is a big step in the right direction to stop climate change and save our planet. With everyone contributing, even little old New Jersey, there is still hope for us yet.