What is a renewable?

You hear the term “renewable” all the time – but what does it mean?

Simply put – a renewable is energy collected from resources such as wind, sunlight, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. If it never runs out – it’s considered renewable.

Renewable energy sources, once operational, do not release greenhouse gas emissions or pollution.

Today, using renewables, you can heat or cool your house or generate electricity to charge your smart phone.

While renewables aren’t our main sources of energy – they’re growing. The International Energy Agency says in their 2015 Medium Term Renewable Energy Market Report that by 2020 renewable energy sources will make up 26 percent of the power generation mix. That's enough renewable energy generation to meet the combined demand for electricity of China, Brazil and India. 

For more information check out these links:

Natural Resources Canada: about renewable energy

U.S. Department of Energy: renewable electricity generation

In the world's conversation about energy, one point is beyond debate: Energy makes a vital contribution to people's quality of life, to society and to human progress. This is true today, and it will remain true in the future. That's why Energy Matters was created. We believe it's important to equip people with unbiased information so they may form opinions, join the conversation and feel confidence in the work and accomplishments of the energy sector. Energy Matters is an initiative that provides transparent information and perspective on energy. Here, we'll cover a range of topics: the scale of global energy; the ways energy is sourced and produced; current energy technology; forthcoming innovations; the world's future energy needs; and the sustainable sources of energy that will fill them. Because energy matters to everyone, we hope you'll rely on Energy Matters as an ongoing source of balanced information.