There are many products available in the market to produce electricity from solar energy and wind energy. Now it is an established engineering product even though it's initial investment is large compared to the generation of electrical energy from coal-based and oil and gas based generators. If the use of Carbon dioxide for electrical generation can be developed for industrial use, then that will be the best renewable energy as it will solve the problem of depletion of ozone layer of the universe.
Please make it a point to use renewable energy and also spread this message.
On drilling rigs there is a thing called regeneration, which is mainly used in deepwater drilling.. When pulling a drill bit up from lets say 7000 feet of water it requires electrical energy, but when lowering the drill bit our friend gravity takes control and will regenerate electricity by turning the motors into generators.. This power must go somehwere, so either you feed it into larger water cooled resistors, or back into your power system.. The power system method is fairly complex, but has been accomplished..
You are right I forgot to mention hydro electric power. But it has become so much a part of our generation and an established resource for electricity, we have taken it granted that everyone knows it. Good that you reminded me. Thanks