A solar water heater isn’t like your everyday water heater. Instead of it being operated from pure electricity that is sent to your home from a power plant that is using fossil fuels to fuel it, your energy comes straight from the sun. In other words, your energy is 100 percent natural. It doesn’t have to travel through electrical wires to make your water hot.

Instead of electricity, solar water heaters have solar thermal collectors and a system that consists of fluid that moves heat from the thermal collectors to the usage point. The system may have to use electricity in order for the fluid system to work, but the amount of electricity that is used is very minimal. It is much less than what would be used if the entire system operated off of electricity itself.

The solar water heater will also have a reservoir that will store the heated water for use. Homes, businesses, and industrial environments can use solar water heaters to heat their water.

Systems can be constructed to be different sizes to accommodate the particular structure that the heated water is for.

So what are the benefits of using solar water heaters?

· You are doing a great service to the environment by using minimal electricity. Minimal electricity means fewer fossil fuels being used. Not using so much in fossil fuels means a safer environment for you, a safer environment for your family, and animals can continue to enjoy their natural habitats.

· There are tax incentives that you can take advantage of. When you install something in your home or business that uses renewable energy, you’ll find that you can get a tax credit on your next tax return.

· You also save money because you’re not using as much electricity. Electricity is beginning to get very expensive. It seems like power companies are looking to increase between the tax incentive and the money saved from using so much electricity, your solar water heater is going to more than pay for itself. You’re going to feel really good about what you are doing for the environment. You’re also going to feel rather great when you see the tax incentives and can take advantage of them. So not only is the world becoming a little more beautiful, but so is your wallet. Actually, your wallet may actually grow from using renewable energy.

Hydropower, also known as hydraulic power or water power, is one of the many different sources of renewable energy, offering many advantages as opposed to the other similar renewable sources. The energy from this source comes from the harnessed energy or force generated by moving water. Like solar and geothermal energy, the energy from hydropower is not depleted in the process of energy production.

Hydropower has many uses. It was previously used for irrigation and machine & mill operations. In fact, it was used in India and Rome in their watermills and water wheels for hundreds of years, as well as in Britain’s metal ore extractions. Today, hydropower is primarily used to generate electricity. It does this in a very efficient manner, as turbines are able to convert more than ninety percent of this renewable energy source into electricity. Also, because it uses water, it is not detrimental to the environment. There are no toxic by-products produced, and no air pollution in the process of energy generation. Furthermore, it has a role in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and is a reliable energy source. This ability to handle seasonal high peak loads is an important attribute of hydropower. In times when there is a low demand for hydroelectric energy, the dam stores more water, thereby producing more flow once it releases, when demands are high again. Aside from electricity production, hydropower projects also serve to control floods, provide water supply to the community and create recreational opportunities.

Hydroelectric energy is used for the electricity generated from large-scale dams. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, hydropower represented 7.1 percent of the sources of energy in 2006. Some states, like Washington, Oregon, and Idaho use it as their main energy source. Hydroelectricity is already a large source of energy not just in the U.S. but also in Canada and Brazil, and there are still many areas in Latin America, Central Africa, China and India that can potentially yield abundant sources of this particular renewable energy. The largest and most notorious hydroelectric dam in the world is the Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River.

While hydroelectric energy has many advantages, it also has its downsides. It may lead to loss of habitat for wildlife, changes in stream water quality, and even the displacement of local populations due to the large areas used for hydropower projects. Aside from hydroelectric energy, there are other forms of energy generated from hydropower. This includes tidal power, tidal stream power, and wave power. While tidal power captures energy in a horizontal direction as occurs in bays or sanctuaries, tidal stream powers captures in a vertical direction. Wave power refers to energy captured in ocean surface waves.

Renewable energy is energy that is generated from sunlight, rain, tides, geothermal heat and wind. These sources are naturally and constantly replenished, which is why they are deemed as renewable. The usage of renewable energy sources is very important when considering the sustainability of the existing energy usage of the world. While there is currently an abundance of non-renewable energy sources, such as nuclear fuels, these energy sources are depleting. In addition to being a non-renewable supply, the non-renewable energy sources release emissions into the air, which has an adverse effect on the environment.

While there are many different types of renewable energy sources, wind power and water power are two of the most popular, only surmounted by solar power. The use of wind power and water power is popular because they are actively found throughout the world and readily available for use.

Wind power is a commonly used renewable energy. Wind power produces no methane or other greenhouse gasses while in operations, which makes it a popular source of renewable power.

Wind can be used to operate wind turbines, which are especially very popular in the commercial arena. The main issue with wind is that it is not constant, thus it tends to be less energy producing than solar power. In addition to consistency, wind turbine farms generally require significant space for construction and operation. Even though it is not as popular or as efficient as solar power, wind power is believed to be able to produce more than five times the amount of global energy used.

Water power is the use of energy located in water as a renewable energy source. From large oceans and rivers to a small brook or stream, significant amounts renewable energy can be collected and used from all type of moving bodies of water. Types of water energy that are being used today include hydroelectric energy, damless hydro systems, ocean energy, tidal power, wave power, and deep lake water cooling, just to name a few. As water is a part of the entire world, advancements have been made and developments continue to try to better enhance the understanding and usage of water energy.

Renewable energy is a very important topic for the future survival of the planet Earth. It is important that the world works together in order to share discoveries and research, especially regarding how to reduce the use of non-renewable resources and lowering the cost of renewable resource technology.