Conservation Initiatives Main Energy Main What is Global Warming? Global Warming Solutions Take Action! Clean Car Campaign Cool Cities Energy Policy Coal and Climate Change Energy Grassroots Factsheets and Reports The Biggest Single Step Environmental news, green living tips, and ways to take action: Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider!

Clean Power Comes on Strong How Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Can Fuel Our Future Introduction Wind Energy The Sun Geothermal Energy Biomass Energy Frequently Asked Questions Harvesting the Benefits of Clean Energy Energy Efficiency Saves Money Introduction We have the potential to produce almost all of our electricity from clean energy sources. Today, we have the technology and the know-how to move beyond our dependence on polluting power plants by using clean, safe, and affordable renewable energy. By harnessing renewable sources of energy like the sun and the wind, we can transform how we produce electricity. Today's solar panels efficiently transform sunlight into electricity while blending into the design of homes and office buildings. Modern wind turbines rise high above the ground, capturing the strongest winds to produce reliable electricity. A clean energy future will rely not just on renewable energy, but also on better use of the energy we currently produce. By making the energy we produce last longer, or by increasing "energy e fficiency," we can avoid the need for new polluting power plants. We can increase energy efficiency by using available technologies that do the same amount of work but use less energy, like a computer that goes to sleep when it's not in use. Clean, renewable energy like solar and wind power currently produces about 2 percent of our electricity nationwide. In contrast, nearly 90 percent of our electricity still comes from polluting sources of energy like coal and nuclear power. Coal-burning power plants are the nation's largest source of carbon dioxide, the heat-trapping pollutant that causes global warming. Coal-fired power plants are also responsible for pollution that increases asthma attacks and worsens environmental problems like acid rain, haze, smog, and other air and water pollution. We can face these challenges by taking steps today towards a brighter energy future. Using existing technology and resources, we can cut our reliance on existing polluting power plants by providing at least 20 percent of our electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2020 and by increasing the energy efficiency of our appliances and homes. Wind energy is a powerful source of clean energy, producing electricity with no global warming pollution. Photo courtesy National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club