United Kingdom is the windiest country in Europe, so much so that we could power our country several times over. 
Top 5 Renewable energy Sources
This article outlines the top 5 renewable energy sources and why they are considered to be renewable. These energy sources include solar energy, wind energy and hydro energy.
Solar Energy
The sun is approximately 4,500,000,000 (four and a half billion) years old and it is expected to continue to burn for at least a few more billion years, here we have our first clean renewable energy source that we can continually replenish without any consequences to the environment and the planet. This means we can continually generate energy from the light or the heat generated by the sun. Recent advances in the last 10 years mean we can harness solar energy through solar technologies such as photovoltaic solar cells, which convert the energy into a usable energy such as electricity or water heating. On a smaller scale we can power our mobile electrical devices, traffic lights or street lights.
Wind Energy
Wind energy is considered a renewable energy source due to the fact that wind is caused by the sun and the movement of the earth. While the planet keeps on rotating and the sun continues to shine the planet will always be windy, giving us an excellent energy source to utilise.
The UK is one of the windiest countries in Europe and this energy can be harnessed using onshore/offshore wind farms, which at present contribute a large percentage to the UK’s energy supply, it is expected that by 2012 the annual contribution of wind electricity will be around 22 TWh.
Hydro Energy
Hydropower comes from the movement of water, it is a renewable energy source because the water on earth is continually replenished through precipitation (rain, snow etc), which is involved in the water cycle; solar energy heats the sea – water is evaporated – condensation occurs, which forms clouds – it rains on dry land and runs back to the sea via rivers. It is in these rivers we can build dams, which use the force of water to generate electricity by concentrating water through a tunnel at the bottom of the dam (penstock). This concentrated water spins a turbine to generate the electricity. 1.3 percent of UK electricity generated is from hydroelectricity.
Tidal/Wave Energy
Energy generated from waves or the tide produce electricity in a similar way to how wind turbines produce electricity, but instead of turbines being rotated by wind they are rotated by the tide or the waves. Again this type of energy generation is a renewable energy source because waves and the tide are caused by our planet, the moon and the sun.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy comes from thermal energy stored within the earth. Water beneath the earth’s surface can reach temperatures of 400 degrees celsius and can be accessed by drilling to depths over 2 miles! This is only done by large scale geothermal plants which use the hot water to produce steam, which in turn drives a steam turbine to generate electricity. It is a renewable energy source because once the steam restores back to water that water can be sent back down to be re-heated and re-used. On a smaller scale the water can be used for household water heating.