Faces of Renewable Energy

Real people powering a clean energy future

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LEARN MORE ABOUT RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Wind

Harnessing the wind is one of the cleanest, most sustainable ways to generate electricity. Wind power is also one of the most abundant and increasingly cost-competitive energy resources, making it a viable alternative to the fossil fuels that harm our health and threaten the environment. View the faces working in and supporting the wind industry or learn more about how wind energy works.

Solar

Solar energy—power from the sun—is free, inexhaustible, and can be used to directly generate heat, lighting, and electricity. All the energy stored in Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is matched by the energy from just 20 days of sunshine. Solar photovoltaic technology is one of the fastest growing energy sources worldwide. View the faces working in and supporting the solar industry or learn more about how solar energy works.

Biomass Energy

There are a wide variety of biomass energy resources, including tree and grass crops and forestry, agricultural, and urban wastes. Historically, the most common way to capture the energy from biomass has been to burn it, to make heat, steam, and electricity. But advances in recent years have shown that there are more efficient and cleaner ways to use biomass. View the faces working in and supporting the bioenergy industry or learn more about how biomass energy works.

Geothermal

Heat from the earth can be used as an energy source in many ways, from large and complex power stations to small and relatively simple pumping systems. This heat energy, known as geothermal energy, can be found almost anywhere, and tapping into it is an affordable and sustainable solution. View the faces working in and supporting the geothermal industry or learn more about how geothermal energy works.

Hydro

Exploiting the movement of water to generate electricity, known as hydroelectric power, is the largest source of renewable power in the United States and worldwide. If done correctly, hydropower can be a sustainable and nonpolluting power source that can help decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce the threat of global warming. View the faces working in and supporting the hydroelectric industry or learn more about how hydroelectric energy works.

Ocean

Our ocean's tides, waves, and currents represent a largely untapped, but powerful, highly-concentrated, and clean energy resource. View the faces working in and supporting the ocean industry or learn more about how hydrokinetic energy works.

Feature design, Mixit Productions. Photos: hydro plant courtesy of Falls Creek H.P., L.P.; man with white hard hat on turbine, and two men on turbine, courtesy of Wind Capital Group; ocean waves © Jonathan Maddock; all other photos, except featured individuals, courtesy of DOE/NREL.