According to the National Resources Defense Council, renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly and sustainably replenished, including wind, solar, biomass, biogas, geothermal, hydropower, and offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy. The Data-Planet repository includes a wealth of statistics on these types of energy, sourced from several government and international organizations.
(EZproxy users, please visit here.)
To explore datasets relevant to renewable energy In Data-Planet Statistical Datasets, browse suitable subject categories and sources. Many sources produce relevant statistics, including the Census Bureau, Energy Information Administration, OECD, EuroStat, and Statistics Canada, to name a few.
Alternatively, search on a type of renewable energy and select from the type-ahead:
Indicators relevant to renewable energy can be viewed as stand-alone trends, charts, or maps. For example, the chart below shows the yearly trend of photovoltaic and solar thermal energy production in the United States.
A summary describing the dataset retrieved appears directly below the trend or chart. The complete infographic can be exported as a pdf.
Create a comparison of the contribution of renewables to energy supply of Australia, Brazil, and Canada, To select multiple variables, hold down the control (Ctrl) key when clicking on the second (or third) item in the indicator list.
Try it yourself with other indicators; eg, compare stock prices of companies in the renewable energy sector. Keep in mind that the graphs you create do not necessarily imply causality: the results may suggest a potential relationship between the variables you select, which may be an interesting line of inquiry for your own research.
For more information on using Data-Planet Statistical Datasets, see http://data-planet.libguides.com/statisticaldatasets .