Renewable energy has a long history. Since the mid-1950s, it has been a boiler plate for future energy initiatives. Designs for wind, geothermal and solar energy can be traced back to scientific concepts of men like Nicola Tesla and Thomas Edison. As it continues to gain supporters and traction, the quest for renewable energy sources isn’t slowing down any time soon. In 2015, renewable energy will become an even bigger deal for several reasons.

Reduction in Costs of Renewable Energy

Formerly, the cost to convert to renewable energy was prohibitive. The average cost to purchase solar panels for the average home in 1990 was approximately $30 to $60,000. For larger, commercial buildings, the costs reached as high as $1 million, depending on the size of the building. The reason for the higher costs was due to having to import solar panels from foreign countries of manufacture, namely China. Wind turbines have always been less expensive to purchase, although the volume of power supplied determines the size of the turbines and their power. Geothermal energy has been used in Scandinavia for more than two decades. Scandinavian countries have access to natural hot springs and spas that provide a large source of geothermal energy.

More Choices in Renewable Energy

With the advent of greater hi-tech advancements, consumers have enjoyed more choice in renewable energy. For example, in 2015, many homeowners can convert to renewable that will make their homes totally independent of electric grids. This has already been done by Michael Strizky of Hopewell NJ, a former NASA employee and inventor. He built his home to be completely independent of fossil fuel energy. In addition to solar panels, his home also is installed with hydrogen and fuel cells. For the average homeowner, however, solar energy conversions are far less costly than in the past. For example, many solar energy companies offer several types of conversion plans:

. Purchase of panels

. Lease to buy

. Lease via annual contract

. Free in exchange for a regular monthly solar utility charge

Advancements in Renewable Energy Production

In 2015, it is more likely that conversions to renewable energy will be a result of the advancements of the past five years. With the knowledge that fuel cells can contain sustainable amounts of energy, the sizes of these cells will inevitably make it possible for greater energy storage and less dependency on fossil fuels. In addition, many European scientists in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden have developed full solar arrays that allow countries to produce more than 60% of their country's total energy supply. In 2014, solar energy production in Germany rose to nearly 50% according to several sources. German technology in renewables has outpaced much of the rest of the countries of the world. This type of progress shows that 2015 may be the year that renewable energy is finally validated as a viable alternative to fossil fuel energy.

Long Term, Proven Track Record of Effective Energy

Perhaps, the best testament to the effectiveness of renewable energy is those facilities, commercial, industrial and governmental, that invested in renewable energy since its advent in the energy industry. Many of these facilities installed solar panels in the late 1990s and have now exchanged the panels for newer generations that withstand winds up to 120 mph, where formerly the wind integrity was 90 mph.

Increase in Investments for Renewable Energy

In addition to the physical investments in renewable energy, the banking giant, Goldman Sachs, in 2013, reported on its intention to increase investments in clean, renewable energy. In 2015, interest in these investments will become an even bigger deal as large corporations invest in clean energy initiatives, and get behind large projects.

As you can see, the search for renewable energy isn’t just one of the latest trends that will soon fade. As technology advances, and large companies get on board, we are continually finding new resources for renewable energy. The information for this article was provided by the professionals of LFG Technologies who specialize in renewable energy projects that convert landfill gas into energy.