Renewable energy can supply a significant portion of the United States' energy needs, creating many public benefits, including environmental improvement, increased fuel diversity and national security, and economic development. These benefits, however, are often not reflected in the prices paid for energy, placing renewable energy at a severe disadvantage when competing against fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Renewable energy provides immediate benefits by avoiding the environmental impacts of fossil fuels.
Using fossil fuels to make electricity dirties the nation's air, consumes and pollutes water, hurts plants and animal life, creates toxic wastes, and causes global warming. Air pollution is an especially serious problem for which electricity generation bears substantial responsibility. Other important pollutants include sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and toxic metals. Electricity generation is also a leading source of carbon dioxide emissions, the key heat-trapping gas that is causing global warming. Although scientific uncertainties remain about the timing and size of impacts, there is strong evidence that global warming is occurring and that its effects could be severely damaging to both people and wildlife.