Renewable Energy in U.S.A. Not Used as Much as Thought to be Believed

Written by Cindy Dice

Image by Markus Spiske

With climate change on the rise due to carbon emissions, it’s no wonder that climate scientists have been warning the public of the drastic long-term effects it has on the environment, therefore encouraging us to take immediate action. While there have been breakthroughs in pushing Americans to install renewable energy equipment, it turns out that Americans haven’t been relying on these options as often as it is assumed to be believed.

According to Vox, a survey was conducted to see the percentage on how much Americans originally thought their country relied on renewable energy options. They believed that at least 20% of the country switched over to renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, which accounted for 11% and 9%, respectively. However, the country only uses 1% solar and 2% wind. Americans are so optimistic that they believe they will rely on 20% solar and 14% wind within the next five years. Unfortunately, within that time frame solar will remain the same while wind will jump up to 3%. The reason is that these options are being used for electricity only, not for transportation or industries.

Even if Americans were to use solar and wind at the percentages they believed were being used, carbon emissions would continue to be steadily released into the atmosphere. Gas powered cars and industries producing raw materials and manufacturing goods still rely on fossil fuels. According to the University of Michigan, about 80% of the U.S.A.’s energy comes from fossil fuels.

Another problem Americans face is the biomass that is used for energy consumption which also contributes to carbon emissions. Trees that are harvested to create paper or furniture end up becoming waste that is ground down to a pulp to be used as energy at waste industries. While it may seem ideal to rely on the surrounding biomass to power our industries, at the rate it’s consumed is faster than the environment’s capability to replenish these natural materials which will result in leaving us with nothing.