What is clean energy and why is it important?
by Elissa Tennant
Clean energy is essential for a sustainable, healthier, and economically stable future. By transitioning away from fossil fuels — like coal, oil, and gas — and embracing scalable clean energy solutions — like solar, wind and more — we can reduce pollution, create jobs, and ensure long-term energy security.
There are many types of clean energy, which makes it harder for governments, corporations, and the public to agree on which is best. Let’s break down exactly what is clean energy, where it comes from, and how we can speed up America’s transition to a clean energy economy.
What is clean energy?
Clean energy refers to energy sources that create minimal or no carbon pollution while producing electricity. Unlike fossil fuels, which release harmful emissions after production that contribute to climate change and environmental degradation, clean energy offers a sustainable, efficient, and eco-friendly way of powering our lives. Key characteristics of clean energy include:
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- Renewable or sustainable: Clean energy sources are naturally replenished and can be used indefinitely, as long as the necessary infrastructure is maintained.
- Minimal environmental impact: These energy sources generate little to no air and water pollution, making them far less harmful to our planet than fossil fuels.
- Efficient and cost-effective in the long term: While initial investment costs can be high, clean energy sources often become more affordable over time, leading to lower energy expenses.
Transitioning to clean energy decreases reliance on coal, oil, and gas, reducing pollution and promoting energy security. Thanks to manufacturing and the AI boom, energy demand is growing. In order to meet this increasing demand, we need to maximize our use of clean and cheap, renewable energy sources.
Types of Scalable Clean Energy Sources (“The Big 5”)
1. Solar Power
Solar power is generated by harnessing sunlight to generate electricity through photovoltaic panels.
Along with wind power, solar is the cheapest form of energy available. Solar panel costs fell by about 90% over the past 15 years.
Solar is also the fastest-growing electricity source in world history. It accounted for almost 80% of new power generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2024 and about 40% of new power production globally in 2023 (about 6% of total power generation).
Part of the reason solar is growing so fast is that it’s easily scalable. Panels can be added to rooftops and parking lots or placed in solar farms. Emerging technologies like solar tiles make it even easier to install solar panels.
Challenges of Solar Power
Solar is intermittent — in other words, the sun doesn’t shine all the time. That means solar needs to be paired with battery storage and utility upgrades. The good news here is that battery prices have come way down, too. And, in the last two years, there has been a surge of battery manufacturing in the U.S., leading to good jobs and lots of investment in towns across the country.
2. Wind Energy
Wind energy is produced by using turbines to convert wind into electricity. Wind is commonly “collected” and harnessed in onshore and offshore wind farms or standalone turbines.
Along with solar, wind is the cheapest source of new electricity. Wind power costs fell by about 70% over the past 15 years. It is not as fast-growing as solar, but is still experiencing growth as a source of clean energy. Wind accounted for about 10% of new power generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2024 and about 25% of new power production globally in 2023 (8% of total power generation).
Challenges of Wind Energy
Wind energy has come under fire in the current administration, which has criticized it for being unreliable and killing whales, among other false or misleading claims. Whales, in particular, have been dying at unusually high rates since 2016, which scientists attribute to a variety of factors, including increased commercial activity in whale habitats.
As of 2025, new wind energy projects are halted on all federal lands or waters. Clean energy activists are hoping to see this ban lifted in the near future.
3. Nuclear Power
Nuclear power refers to clean electricity generation from nuclear fission. It is created in large-scale nuclear plants and emerging small modular reactors (SMRs).
In 2023 the first nuclear reactor to be fully planned and built in the U.S. in the last 30 years was brought online in Georgia. Not many nuclear plants have been built since 1990 because fracking made natural gas, which is a fossil fuel, plentiful. Recently, public opinion has shifted to be more favorable on nuclear power and there have been several policies passed designed to make it more affordable and efficient to build new nuclear reactors. See our nuclear page for more information.
Benefits of Nuclear Power
Nuclear power has even lower lifetime carbon emissions than solar power. Nuclear reactors and power plants have a much lower land footprint than solar and wind farms. It is a clean, firm source of power not dependent on variable weather, and it produces about 9% of global electricity today.
Challenges of Nuclear Power
There are minor risks and impacts associated with radiation and storage of nuclear waste involved in producing nuclear power. These risks are less than that of using fossil fuels, but media and public perception tend to give nuclear a bad reputation.
The high costs and slow deployment of nuclear power are also challenges. Because nuclear facilities often exceed their planned budget, the energy ends up being more expensive than other clean sources.
4. Geothermal Energy
Creating geothermal energy involves using heat from the Earth’s interior to generate power. It is generally produced in power plants in geologically active regions. In some cases it can be harnessed directly from the source to heat homes and buildings.
Benefits of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy, like nuclear, is a clean, firm source of power not dependent on variable weather. While most geothermal power today is generated from hot water near the ground surface, enhanced geothermal is being developed quickly to cost-effectively harness deeper heat in a lot more places. See our geothermal page for more information.
Mining for geothermal energy uses similar extraction techniques to oil and gas. Expertise and specific skills built over decades by oil and gas workers are directly transferable to a new clean energy source of energy. It’s a great way to transition American workers into a clean energy economy.
Challenges of Geothermal Energy
Geothermal is location-specific and must be harvested where there are hydrothermal resources, which is mostly in the western half of the U.S. To get geothermal power to the East Coast, America would need to install better transmission lines.
Aside from the transmission lines, the general cost of geothermal energy is expensive up front. There are currently few financial incentives to set up a geothermal operation. However, once set up, there are very little maintenance and operational costs in the long-term.
There is also a risk of seismic activity when drilling for geothermal energy, unless the drilling operation is run with strict standards to prevent earthquakes.
5. Hydropower Energy
Hydropower energy uses the movement of water to generate power. It requires a flowing water source.
Again, hydropower is a clean, firm source of power generally not dependent on variable weather (with the exception of drought). It produces about 14% of global electricity today.
Challenges of Hydropower Energy
Large hydropower projects can lead to conflicts by displacing local communities, and natural habitats, including important fisheries, can be disrupted if a careful balance between energy needs and ecosystem services is not established. Perhaps the most discussed impact is the disruption of fish migration.
Hydropower is also not particularly scalable. Most good dam sites in the U.S. are already built, and an increase in drought is making it harder to find water sources for hydropower. See our hydropower page for more information.
Why is Clean Energy Important?
Transitioning to clean energy doesn’t just cut emissions and reduce pollution. There are a number of benefits we’ll see by making the switch as soon as possible.
- Environmental benefits: Decreases air and water pollution.
- Economic benefits: Lowers energy costs for homes and businesses in the long run while creating jobs in the renewable energy sector.
- Geopolitical benefits: Enhances national energy independence and security by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels.
- Health benefits: Reduced air pollution leads to improved public health by decreasing respiratory diseases and other illnesses caused by fossil fuel pollution.
Challenges to Clean Energy Adoption
One of the main challenges is that some clean energy sources, like solar and wind, are intermittent and require energy storage solutions. The U.S. electrical grid is aging and was designed for fossil fuel power sources. It needs modernization to support a transition to renewables, but permitting processes can delay new projects, and political opposition has slowed clean energy expansion.
Misinformation about clean energy costs and reliability also creates public resistance. Not everyone even understands the answer to the question “What is clean energy?” The current political climate and administration prioritizes oil and gas over clean energy sources, making it harder to sway public perception of clean energy expansion.
The Future of Clean Energy
Technological advancements are making clean energy more accessible, with improvements in battery storage and hydrogen fuel cells as well as clean energy sources like nuclear power and geothermal energy.
Governments and corporations play a key role in driving policy changes and investments that accelerate clean energy adoption. By shifting public perception and emphasizing the importance of transitioning to clean energy, we can urge these institutions to create policies, incentives, and investments in the clean energy economy.
Experts predict that with continued innovation and policy support, clean energy could become the dominant global energy source within the next few decades.
What is clean energy? It’s the future! Using fossil fuels has caused changes to our climate that are already hurting us, but we can protect ourselves from even more damage. Here’s what you can do right now to speed up the transition to a clean energy economy:
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