Renewable Energy

4/1/24

Overview

Energy from renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, etc.) is an important part of the future of energy in the U.S. and the world. The issues involved are complex, involving technical challenges, economic issues, as well as environmental, political and social factors. Join Active Minds as we survey the current state of renewable energy and look at the various forces that will influence how these resources will evolve in the future.

Key Lecture Points

  • Renewable energy is produced from a natural source that is readily available or restores itself over a short period of time. Major forms of renewable energy are biomass, hydro, solar, wind and geothermal. Renewable energy sources can be found across the US, with the West possessing an especially high potential.
  • US consumption of renewable energy has risen markedly in the recent past—14% from 2020-22. Nonetheless, the overall consumption of energy in the US is still dominated by fossil fuels. In 2022, 79% of energy consumed in the US was produced by the burning of fossil fuels.
  • In recent years, renewable energy has received more attention because of climate change associated with the burning of fossil fuels.  Some advocates also champion renewable energy as a national security necessity.  Skeptics argue that the cost associated with a shift to renewables burdens the US economy when other less expensive sources of energy (especially natural gas) are readily available domestically.
  • The Paris Climate Accords commit most of the world’s countries to ambitious goals to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. Techniques for reducing emissions include the expanded use of renewable resources. Although President Trump withdrew the US from the accords in his term, President Biden re-engaged the United States in the Accords. The Accords remain an important tool for fighting climate change.
  • The Biden Administration’s signature achievement toward the US meeting its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which went into effect in 2023.  The IRA implemented a 30% federal tax rebate for businesses and individuals to offset the cost of renewable infrastructure including wind, solar and geothermal and battery storage.

Discussion Questions

  • What are the forces driving the increase in the use of renewable energy?
  • What are the major types of renewable energy? What are the pros and cons of each type?
  • Do you or anyone you know use solar power? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

More to Explore

  • Guide to U.S. energy production/use Click here
  • Interactive map by state (clean energy and climate change) Click here

Books for Further Reading

  • Bakke, Gretchen. The Grid: The Fraying Wires between Americans and Our Energy Future. Bloomsbury, 2017. 384 pages. This book explores America’s energy infrastructure—its history, its problems and its potential role in slowing global climate change.
  • Jelly, Nick. Renewable Energy: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, 2020. 168 pages. This compact volume covers most of the issues addressed in Active Minds’ talk on Renewable Energy in greater depth, as well as more information about the importance of tackling climate change.
  • Saito Kohei. Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto. Translated by Brian Bergstrom. Astra House, 2024. 288 pages. This “talked-about” work in translation by a noted Japanese philosopher observes the limitations of renewables and “Green New Deals” alone as solutions to climate change.
  • Turner, James Morton. Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future. University of Washington, 2022. 256 pages. An environmental studies professor evaluates the role of “the battery problem” in a broad conversion to renewable energy sources.
  • Yergin, Daniel. The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations. Penguin, 2021. 544 pages. Energy expert and Pulitzer-winning Yergin looks at the broader geopolitics of fossil fuels, climate change, and renewable energy.