Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energies

When the use of renewable energies is analyzed , there are generally arguments that widely support it for its benefits for the planet. However, they are not being used to completely replace non-renewable energies. That said, what are its advantages and disadvantages?

It is necessary to know in detail the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energies. To make this assessment, we will present both aspects below.

Advantages of renewable energies

Many times they are called clean energies due to their characteristics. Its main advantages are:

• They generate less pollution than non-renewable energies. Therefore, the harmful effects on the health of the population due to pollution are practically nil.
• Reduce carbon footprint.
• They will not run out because they come from unlimited sources. So they do not depend on the decline in reserves over time.
• They are less affected by geopolitical conflicts over the exploitation of unique deposits in specific countries.
• They do not depend on large fluctuations in prices due to the discovery of new deposits or the depletion of others. Something that does happen with fossil fuels such as oil that can favor speculation in the markets.
• They are well received by the general public.
• They stimulate self- consumption .
• They can reach remote places on the planet.
• It can help reduce energy dependency.
• They do not require exploration like fossil fuels or water sources, which implies assuming lower costs and risks.

Disadvantages of renewable energies

But not everything is positive, there are also risks that are worth exploring in order to make an objective analysis. So here are the main disadvantages:

• They depend on atmospheric phenomena. For example, in some cases they depend on the Sun or on the wind blowing at a certain intensity to ensure the supply of energy to a certain population. Therefore, if only renewable energy was used at this time, the energy demand would not be guaranteed in its entirety for any country.
• In some cases, such as solar energy generation, it requires a large space.
• It requires a greater investment because in many cases it is not yet on the market.
• In some cases it is not easy to carry out its storage, so it is necessary to consume at the moment.
• Not all latitudes of the planet have the same natural resources. Therefore, it is impossible for all countries to obtain the same amounts and types of energy. Something, it must be said, that would force them to continue using another type of energy to satisfy their energy needs.