# Where would the energy from renewable sources go if we didn't use it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071 "2007-08-27T11:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/1 "2007-08-27T11:49:46Z")
Well, just that. Are anyone in particular missing out on this energy? Does it matter? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/2 "2007-08-27T11:58:35Z")
A windmill or water-powered turbine for example – we take some of the energy of that resource, and it has been weakened as a result. The wind or water downstream is not quite as powerful as it would have been if we didn’t interfere. But the difference is so slight that no one notices. At least not for quite a while. Then we’re back to square one. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/3 "2007-08-27T14:00:10Z")
It would end up as heat, or stored as chemical energy in plant material. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/4 "2007-08-27T16:38:31Z")
As an excellent rule of thumb, whenever the question is “where does the energy go”, the answer is almost always “heat”. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/5 "2007-08-27T17:17:15Z")
so by not using them, you are contributing to global warming. (j/k) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/6 "2007-08-27T17:58:57Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] As an excellent rule of thumb, whenever the question is “where does the energy go”, the answer is almost always “heat”. [/QUOTE] And all you’re doing by using the energy is slightly moving the moment at which it gets turned to heat - e.g. for wind power, either the wind turns a turbine which drives a generator which produces electricity which makes a lightbulb glow, which gets hot, or the wind just slams into a mountain or another air mass or something and generates heat by friction. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/7 "2007-08-27T19:00:41Z")
Right. Either way, that wind energy for instance is headed for heat. The question is what it accomplishes along the way. If it goes into a wind turbine, it does some useful work prior to being dissipated into heat. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/8 "2007-08-27T20:04:29Z")
Energy, left to its own devices, simply spreads out until every place has a small but relatively equal amount. Humans gather a bunch of energy into one place so we can focus it on doing something we want. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/9 "2007-08-27T20:07:40Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Energy, left to its own devices, simply spreads out until every place has a small but relatively equal amount. Humans gather a bunch of energy into one place so we can focus it on doing something we want. [/QUOTE] Like putting children in a sweat-shop. ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/10 "2007-08-27T21:59:47Z")
thanks, great answers! ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-the-energy-from-renewable-sources-go-if-we-didnt-use-it/417071/11 "2007-08-28T12:29:21Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Energy, left to its own devices, simply spreads out until every place has a small but relatively equal amount. Humans gather a bunch of energy into one place so we can focus it on doing something we want. [/QUOTE] Explained in song format here Sympathy for the Second law [http://www.barransclass.com/phys1050/ppts/song/sympathy.html](http://www.barransclass.com/phys1050/ppts/song/sympathy.html)