What is a Renewable Resource?

Renewable resources are resources that can be replenished naturally over time and are sustainable despite its consumption by humankind. They are considered especially important for their potential to replace non-renewable or finite resources in energy production.

The renewable resources include the sun (solar photovoltaic devices, solar cells), wind (wind turbines), water (hydropower), the earth's heat (geothermal), and biomass (renewable organic products). United Nation Reports that renewable energy creates far lower emissions than burning fossil fuels. Non-renewable fossil fuels - coal, oil, and gas take hundreds of millions of years to form and cause harmful greenhouse gas emissions when burned to produce energy.

Learn more about Renewable Energy Resources from Investopedia and United Nations Climate Action.