Renewable Energy Benefits

Federal public lands have held long-lasting importance in the field of renewable energy. Significant contributions to the economy, such as surplus construction and maintenance jobs, sprout as a result of initiating renewable energy projects. Numerous benefits also ensue once these projects become functional. Providing steady revenue to federal, state, and local governments, providing support for rural communities, and helping to reduce fossil fuel dependence at a local level are just a few. Although renewable energy sites can sometimes have harmful impacts on the environment, these concerns have been negated by multiple policies formed by the Bureau of Land Management. The economic and conservative benefits of renewable energy are far too substantial to be ignored (Springer and Daue).

From an environmental standpoint, renewable energy should be the leading source of power. They do not incorporate the burning of fossil fuels, a large producer of greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, the energy is sourced from substances that, when exploited, produce little to no emissions at all. This keeps the atmosphere clean. Renewable energy is, as the name suggests, infinitely renewable. Meaning that the resources used in its production -- water, wind, solar radiation, and biomass among other things -- will never run out. On the contrary, fossil fuels are non-renewable. Once the reserves of coal and oil are exhausted, there is no way to renew them. Hence, why it is important to lower dependence on fossil fuels before the eventual exhaustion comes about (Qureshi).

See more: Interactive charts and maps

Not only are there numerous environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy, but there are underlying health benefits as well. It is a known fact that using low-carbon energy sources in the place of fossil fuels decreases emissions of harmful gas to a great extent. Emissions of nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide are all greatly reduced when the demand for fossil fuels is low. Dr. Jonathan Buonocre and his colleagues were able to create an assessment tool used to monetize the health benefits of wind and solar projects. They found that each project benefited anywhere from 5.7 to 210 million dollars a year depending on the location and type of project ("Health Benefits").

Page updated

Report abuse