"[We stand] today poised on a pinnacle of wealth and power, yet we live in a land of vanishing beauty, of increasing ugliness, of shrinking open space and of an overall environment that is diminished daily by pollution and noise and blight. This, in brief, is the quiet conservation crisis." - Aristotle.

In today�s society we can�t survive without the energy we get from fuel, it makes everything work. The main fuels that we currently use are coal, oil, gas and uranium, all of which will soon run out, and are generally bad for the environment.

What would you do without fuel? Think about it, you won�t be able to go on the computer, have warm toast from the toaster, text your friends from a mobile phone, turn the light on at night, catch a bus to school, have fried eggs (unless you make a fire), play with your game boy, and the list goes on! How boring and unpleasant would life be?

You may know that the fuels we use today are the key players in pollution around the world. When the carbon-based fuels coal, oil and gas are burnt, they give off carbon-dioxide (CO2) into the air, which can change the world�s climate - this is known as global warming. In addition, power stations that dispense waste into the air create acid rain. There are so many other forms of pollution caused by these fuels.

Obviously, we all need energy from fuel to live in modern society. The world's population grows by millions every year, and so engineers and scientists must try not only to improve the way we get our energy, but also make sure is has as little impact on the environment as possible. One of the solutions that they have come up with is renewable energy. These energy sources are renewed as soon as they are used, which is good for humans, who are constantly trying to improve their standards of living.

Renewable energy is therefore a way in which we can fulfill our need for energy, but also minimise damage to the Earth we have to live in.