{"id":23382,"date":"2025-12-15T16:06:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/renewable-energy-sources\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T21:30:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T21:30:33","slug":"renewable-energy-sources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/renewable-energy-sources\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Different Kinds of Renewable Energy Sources"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n.chariot-article {\n  max-width: 800px;\n  margin: 0 auto;\n  padding: 40px;\n  font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, \"Segoe UI\", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, sans-serif;\n  font-size: 18px;\n  line-height: 1.8;\n  color: #333;\n}\n.chariot-article h1 {\n  font-size: 2.5em;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  line-height: 1.2;\n  margin: 0 0 30px 0;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n}\n.chariot-article h2 {\n  font-size: 1.8em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  line-height: 1.3;\n  margin: 50px 0 20px 0;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n  border-bottom: 2px solid #f7931e;\n  padding-bottom: 10px;\n}\n.chariot-article h3 {\n  font-size: 1.4em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  line-height: 1.4;\n  margin: 40px 0 15px 0;\n  color: #333;\n}\n.chariot-article h4 {\n  font-size: 1.2em;\n  font-weight: 600;\n  margin: 30px 0 10px 0;\n  color: #444;\n}\n.chariot-article p {\n  margin: 0 0 20px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article img {\n  max-width: 100%;\n  height: auto;\n  border-radius: 8px;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n  display: block;\n}\n.chariot-article figure {\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article figcaption {\n  font-size: 0.9em;\n  color: #666;\n  text-align: center;\n  margin-top: 10px;\n  font-style: italic;\n}\n.chariot-article ul, .chariot-article ol {\n  margin: 20px 0 20px 30px;\n  padding: 0;\n}\n.chariot-article li {\n  margin-bottom: 12px;\n  line-height: 1.6;\n}\n.chariot-article a {\n  color: #f7931e;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid transparent;\n  transition: border-color 0.2s;\n}\n.chariot-article a:hover {\n  border-bottom-color: #f7931e;\n}\n.chariot-article blockquote {\n  border-left: 4px solid #f7931e;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n  padding: 20px 30px;\n  background: #f9f9f9;\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: #555;\n}\n.chariot-article strong {\n  font-weight: 600;\n  color: #1a1a1a;\n}\n.chariot-article em {\n  font-style: italic;\n}\n.chariot-article hr {\n  border: none;\n  border-top: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\n  margin: 40px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article table {\n  width: 100%;\n  border-collapse: collapse;\n  margin: 30px 0;\n}\n.chariot-article th, .chariot-article td {\n  padding: 12px 15px;\n  text-align: left;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0;\n}\n.chariot-article th {\n  background: #f5f5f5;\n  font-weight: 600;\n}\n@media (max-width: 768px) {\n  .chariot-article {\n    padding: 20px;\n    font-size: 16px;\n  }\n  .chariot-article h1 { font-size: 2em; }\n  .chariot-article h2 { font-size: 1.5em; }\n  .chariot-article h3 { font-size: 1.25em; }\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"chariot-article\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" alt=\"Wind turbines in a field\" class=\"wp-image-1547\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/wind-turbines.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>The term \u201crenewable energy\u201d is thrown around a lot, whether it be<br \/>\nin the news, on social media, in passing, or around the water cooler with your<br \/>\ncoworkers. Somehow, this once niche subject has crept into our everyday topics<br \/>\nof conversation. <\/p>\n<p>Unless you\u2019ve been living under a rock, you probably have a<br \/>\ncursory understanding of renewable energy. We want to take that understanding a<br \/>\nbit further by discussing the different renewable energy sources and describing<br \/>\ntheir respective percentages of energy production in the U.S. And we\u2019re going<br \/>\nto try our best not to sound like a textbook while doing it!<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Exactly is Renewable Energy?<\/h2>\n<p>According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, <strong>renewable<br \/>\nenergy<\/strong> comes from naturally occurring sources such as the sun, wind, water,<br \/>\nand plants that are \u201cvirtually inexhaustible.\u201d<sup>1 <\/sup>This means that any energy source<br \/>\ndeemed \u201crenewable\u201d cannot ever be used up or depleted. It must be renewed<br \/>\nfrequently (within the average human lifespan) and naturally.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note that this definition <strong>does not<\/strong> factor in the number of emissions these energy sources should produce to become renewable. Contrary to popular belief, the amount of emissions produced by a specific energy source does not determine if it\u2019s renewable or not. However, this definition of being \u201cvirtually inexhaustible\u201d does inherently separate sources of energy with higher emissions (i.e., fossil fuels) and energy sources that emit little or no <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/greenhouse-gases\/\">greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> (i.e., wind, solar, geothermal, etc.).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clean Energy is Not the Same as Renewable Energy<\/h3>\n<p>At Chariot Energy, we believe <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/clean-energy\/\">clean energy<\/a> <em>should be <\/em>synonymous with renewable energy \u2014 energy that doesn\u2019t emit greenhouse gases or other pollutants. However, the reality is that the terms are a bit different. Clean energy refers to energy sources that have little to no impact on the environment (i.e., emissions), whereas renewable energy refers to how available these resources are and how often they\u2019re renewed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thus, clean energy also encompasses nuclear energy, which emits no<br \/>\ngreenhouse gases, and (sometimes) natural gas \u2013 a fossil fuel that burns<br \/>\ncleaner than other fossil fuels. However, the power generated from natural gas<br \/>\nand nuclear is not renewable since they are not naturally occurring, cannot be<br \/>\nreplenished quickly, and are not inexhaustible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Green Energy is a Subset of Renewable Energy<\/h3>\n<p>Like clean energy, <em>green <\/em>energy is also not synonymous with renewable energy. <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/blog\/what-is-green-energy\/\">Green energy<\/a> is actually a subset of renewable energy, and it represents the most environmentally beneficial forms of energy. This includes:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Solar<\/li>\n<li>Wind<\/li>\n<li>Geothermal<\/li>\n<li>Biogas<\/li>\n<li>Biomass<\/li>\n<li>Geothermal<\/li>\n<li>Low-impact hydropower<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Renewable energy sources not considered green energy include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Large-scale hydropower<\/li>\n<li>Municipal solid waste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5 Different Sources of Renewable Energy<\/h2>\n<p>In 2018, renewable energy accounted for 11% of all energy consumed<br \/>\nin the U.S.<sup>1<\/sup> Within that 11%, let\u2019s break down<br \/>\neach type of renewable energy and list them in order of consumption:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>45% \u2013 Biomass<\/strong> (about 5% of total U.S. energy)<\/li>\n<li><strong>25% \u2013 Hydroelectric<\/strong> (about\u00a02.7% of total U.S. energy)<\/li>\n<li><strong>21% \u2013 Wind <\/strong>(about 2.3% of total U.S. energy)<\/li>\n<li><strong>6% \u2013 Solar<\/strong> (less than 1% of total U.S. energy)<\/li>\n<li><strong>2% \u2013 Geothermal<\/strong> (less than 1% of total U.S. energy)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#1. Biomass<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"Algae being tested for biofuel\" class=\"wp-image-1491\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/bio-fuel.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Biomass originates from plants and animals and is often burned as<br \/>\nfuel to heat buildings. This energy source comes in several different forms:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Landfill gas and biogas<\/strong>: As bacteria begin to break down the trash in landfills, they produce biogas composed of methane and carbon dioxide. The gas produced is very similar to natural gas and can be burned to generate electricity or used as a fuel.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ethanol<\/strong>: This clear and colorless alcohol is produced when grains and other crips undergo fermentation. Today, ethanol is used in fuel, including the gasoline that powers your car.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biodiesel<\/strong>: Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and animal fat, and it\u2019s often a replacement for traditional petroleum-based diesel fuel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wood and wood waste<\/strong>: Just like in your fireplace, wood is burned to generate electricity or heat for buildings and manufacturing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Municipal solid waste<\/strong>: AKA garbage, this form of biomass is burned to generate electricity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#2. Solar<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"A man installing solar panels on a terracotta roof\" class=\"wp-image-1417\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solar-installation-2-1.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Clearly, our favorite renewable energy source, <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/what-is-solar-energy\/\">solar energy<\/a>, has a<br \/>\nwide variety of applications, the most well-known being the photovoltaic solar<br \/>\npanels created by Chariot Energy and our affiliates! When exposed to sunlight,<br \/>\nthese panels contain elements that give off their electrons. The solar panels<br \/>\nthen capture these electrons and generate electricity to use in our<br \/>\nhomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, there are other ways to capture the sun\u2019s energy for<br \/>\nhuman benefit, such as:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants<\/strong>: These power plants use highly reflective mirrors to concentrate the sun\u2019s light onto a      single point. The heat from the sun is so intense that it rapidly boils water and produces steam to drive traditional turbines that generate electricity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Solar space heating and cooling<\/strong>: Also called active or passive solar homes, this use of solar energy strategically manipulates the sun\u2019s thermal energy to heat and cool your home. Many of these setups use a solar liquid collector to absorb heat from the sun and transfer that heat to the rest of the house.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Solar water heaters<\/strong>: This use of solar energy works just like a solar liquid collector for heating and cooling your home. Instead, the heated liquid is used to heat water instead of directly heating your home.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#3. Wind<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1512\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"878\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/solar-wind-farm-1.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>While technically its own energy source, wind is actually a byproduct of solar energy. Because the earth isn\u2019t all land or all water, our planet\u2019s surface heats unevenly. This uneven heating of the earth\u2019s surface gives rise to <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/what-is-wind-energy\/\">wind energy<\/a>!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today, there are two primary uses of wind energy:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wind turbines<\/strong>: These giant white fans dot the countryside and other areas with high wind speeds. These turbines use wind\u2019s kinetic energy to spin the fan blades, which turn an electricity generator and create electricity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Windmills<\/strong>: Farmers still use this ancient form of renewable energy to pump water for livestock, which dates back to 200 B.C.E.<sup>2<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#4. Hydropower<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A hydropower facility\" class=\"wp-image-1496\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1280\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hydropower-facility.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p>Hydropower relies on the kinetic energy from<br \/>\nflowing water and transforms it into electricity through spinning turbines<br \/>\nlocated in a moving body of water. But why is low-impact hydropower considered<br \/>\ngreen and large-scale not? It has to do with the environmental impact of the<br \/>\nhydropower in question.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low-impact hydropower<\/strong>: This form of hydroelectricity refers to an electricity generation system that doesn\u2019t have a significant impact on the environment. This is why low-impact hydropower is considered green energy.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Large-scale hydropower<\/strong>: Although hydropower does not directly emit greenhouse gases, some electricity generation systems do create some emissions. Additionally, hydropower plants operating on a larger scale can impact fish migration, water temperatures, water chemistry, river flow, and still loads. CO<sub>2 <\/sub>and methane \u2014 both of which are greenhouse gases \u2014 can also form in reservoirs and emit into the atmosphere. Currently, scientists do not know how much      GHGs are created in such reservoirs.<sup>3<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">#5. Geothermal<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Home with a geothermal heating and cooling system\" class=\"wp-image-1548\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/geothermal-energy.jpg\" width=\"1920\" title=\"\"><figcaption>Geothermal heat pumps (pictured above) can heat, cool and provide hot water to homes by transferring thermal energy to or from the earth.<\/figcaption><\/img><\/figure>\n<p>Geothermal is different from water, solar, and wind because its<br \/>\nenergy is not derived from the sun. Rather, this ancient energy source comes in<br \/>\nthe form of thermal energy from the earth itself. Historically, humans have<br \/>\nused hot springs for bathing, and we still use them today! Over time, however,<br \/>\nwe\u2019ve discovered three additional ways to utilize geothermal energy that<br \/>\nbenefit our lives.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geothermal heat pumps<\/strong>: About 10 feet below the earth\u2019s surface, temperatures are consistently between 50\u00b0F and 60\u00b0F.<sup>4<\/sup> Scientists have learned to utilize this constant with geothermal heat pumps, which cool homes during summer and heat homes during winter. Plus, according to the U.S. EPA, this is the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to heat and cool your home!<sup>4<\/sup>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Geothermal power plants<\/strong>: The earth\u2019s heat energy boils water to create steam, which rotates turbines that produce electricity. It\u2019s similar to a coal power plant, but it\u2019s run on the Earth\u2019s heat instead of burning fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>District heating systems<\/strong>: Hot water from natural hot springs is pumped into buildings to provide heat.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concluding Statements<\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully, this introduction to renewable energy wasn\u2019t <em>too <\/em>textbooky! We hope you now have a better understanding of what renewable energy actually is, where it comes from, and, most importantly, that not all renewable energy is green energy. This is especially important if you\u2019re looking for energy sources that reduce your <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/carbon-footprint\/\">carbon footprint<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To read more on solar and the other forms of green energy, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/chariot-university\/\">Chariot Univeristy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height:100px\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/renewable-sources\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/renewable-sources\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/wind\/history-of-wind-power.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/wind\/history-of-wind-power.php<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/hydropower\/hydropower-and-the-environment.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/hydropower\/hydropower-and-the-environment.php<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/geothermal\/geothermal-heat-pumps.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/energyexplained\/geothermal\/geothermal-heat-pumps.php<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn more about the five main sources of renewable energy, which made up 11 percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23597,"parent":627,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23382","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23382\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chariotenergy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}