Renewable Energy

Hello there. You might not know my name, but you feel me every day. I am the cozy warmth of the sun that tickles your face during playtime and helps the flowers grow tall. I am the mighty push of the wind that sends your kite soaring high in the sky and makes the leaves on the trees dance. I am the bubbly, rushing power of a river, splashing over rocks on its way to the big, wide ocean. You can’t always see me, but I am everywhere. I am a secret helper with a special kind of magic. I work all day and all night, and I never, ever get tired. I have been helping the world for a very, very long time, just waiting for clever people to discover all the amazing tricks I can do.

A long, long time ago, in a faraway land called Persia, people first discovered one of my windy tricks. They built big, wonderful windmills that looked like giant pinwheels spinning in the breeze. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. I would push their sails around and around, and this spinning power would grind grain into soft flour to make yummy bread. It was one of the first times people asked for my help. In another ancient place, Rome, clever people saw how I loved to rush and tumble in the rivers. They built big wooden water wheels right in my path. As I flowed past, I would push the paddles on the wheel, making it turn. Splash, spin, splash, spin. Their amazing water wheels helped them do all sorts of important jobs. For many, many years, I helped in these simple ways. But then, some very clever inventors discovered I had even more powerful secrets. In 1883, a man named Charles Fritts found out that my sunshine could be turned into a different kind of magic. He made a special shiny plate that could catch my sunbeams. When my light hit it, zap. It created a spark of electricity. It was like he was bottling sunshine. A few years later, in 1888, another smart inventor named Charles F. Brush decided to use my wind-power in a big way. He built a gigantic windmill, taller than his house. When I blew my mighty breath, the huge blades would spin and spin, making enough electricity to light up every single room in his home. People were finally learning my biggest secrets.

Today, my job is more important than ever. I help run the lights in your home, the computers at your school, and even some of the cars on the road. And the very best part is, I do all this work without making our beautiful planet Earth sick. I don’t make any smoky, dusty clouds that make the air yucky. I am a clean helper. You can see me playing in my new, modern playgrounds all over the world. Sometimes I play in giant fields filled with shiny solar panels that drink up my sunshine all day long. Other times, I play on tall hills with huge, graceful windmills that spin like gentle giants. They catch my wind and turn it into clean power for everyone. I am the power that never runs out. As long as the sun shines, the wind blows, and the rivers flow, I will be here to help. I am the Earth’s best friend, a happy energy here to keep the world bright forever. Do you know my name? I am Renewable Energy.