Renewable Energy
Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replaced, such as the Sun, wind, water and heat from the Earth.
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Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replaced, such as the Sun, wind, water and heat from the Earth.
- Solar panels convert light to electricity
- Wind turbines are widely used
- Hydroelectric dams store water
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Renewable Energy?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Renewable Energy. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Renewable Energy in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Renewable Energy helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Renewable Energy in detail
Renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly replenished: sunlight, wind, flowing water, tides, waves, geothermal heat and biomass. They produce little or no greenhouse gas during operation and reduce dependence on imported fuels.
Challenges include intermittency (the Sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow), the need for storage and grid upgrades, land and visual impacts, and upfront costs, though prices have fallen sharply. A mix of sources, with storage and smart grids, provides reliability. Renewables are growing quickly, and are key to reaching net-zero emissions.
How the interactive helps you understand Renewable Energy
Watch the energy stores in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the energy stores responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Renewable Energy.
Real-life uses and examples
- Use a diagram of Renewable Energy to describe the steps of a process in order.
- Discuss how human activity changes Renewable Energy, using a named example.
- Explain how Renewable Energy affects the landscape or climate near you.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Renewable Energy
What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replaced, such as the Sun, wind, water and heat from the Earth.
What are the most important points about Renewable Energy?
The main points are: Solar panels convert light to electricity; Wind turbines are widely used; Hydroelectric dams store water.
Why is Renewable Energy useful?
Understanding Renewable Energy helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Renewable Energy?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Renewable Energy?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Hydropower and Tidal Energy, Energy Conservation and Efficiency, Recycling and the Circular Economy.