The Evolution and Future Growth of Renewable Energy

One of the most promising industries in recent years is that of renewable energy. This infographic illustrates the evolution and future growth potential of renewable energy sources.

One of the most promising industries in recent years is that of renewable energy. Driven by the high cost of oil in the 1950s and 1960s, solar power was developed. As the demand for clean energy and environmental awareness has risen, business that focuses on these new forms of energy are seeing a great potential for profit.

In the early 1970s, reports were released spelling out just how limited the earth’s oil resources were and that if trends continued, they would soon be depleted or be increasingly expensive to obtain. With the high gas prices of the last decade and disasters with nuclear plants, the demand for clean and safe energy is at an all-time high.

The trends in recent years are very promising. With greenhouse emissions down across the country, the United States, a leader in clean energy, is showing just how viable this can be. New innovations in solar and wind energies are showing businesses that this type of energy can be cost-effective, and not only that, it appeals to the consumers who are environmentally conscience.

However, things are looking up all over the world. Several countries smaller than the United States are starting to migrate the entirety of their power needs to renewable energy sources. This sourcing of power from clean sources reached an all-time high in 2011, when 19 percent of the earth’s energy needs were filled by renewable sources.

This boom in the use of renewable energy has been brought about by exciting innovation in the storage as well as the production of clean energy. The biggest issue with clean energy has been storage. Advancements in the storage of energy are making these forms of farming clean energy viable and not just as part of the time, but potentially to service all the power needs.

Other advancements have come in the way of producing the power. Solar panels are now considerably more efficient, meaning that the same area of panels gathers infinitely more energy than the earliest panels. Other innovations including carbon blades for wind energy and ways to harness the power of tides has created several exciting new ways to gather clean energy. Continued innovation in this field means that soon energy business will be mostly run by clean sources of renewable energy.

One of the most surprising benefits of clean energy is the employment it would create. After all, complete overhaul of how we get power would mean thousands of construction jobs, and with more structures needed to gather similar amounts of energy, there would be a great demand for maintenance crews.

The future of renewable energy is definitely a bright one. With new innovations every day, and more and more of the best and brightest coming on board to the clean energy business, it is only a matter of time before renewable sources of energy become the primary source of energy, both in the United States, and around the world. The Master of Electrical Engineering Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology has designed this captivating infographic (see below) highlighting The Evolution and Future Growth of Renewable Energy.

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