The Sun's energy actually is the basis for all energy except nuclear, tidal and geothermal. This includes wind and hydroelectric as the sun powers the winds and evaporates the water that later falls as rain to power hydroelectric dams.
The Sun is usually classified as a renewable source, but in point of fact is running on internal fuel of light elements for the nuclear fusion reactions at it's core. The Sun will expand and destroy the Earth well before it runs out of energy. Don't worry, the distance in time is so unimaginably great before that point that it's reasonable to talk about our technology having gotten so far as to move the Earth before it's destroyed, or even re-stoked the Sun's fuel and hauled its helium ashes so it doesn't expand.
Yes, every day the sun comes up all these forms of energy continue to be renewed without using any of the Earths resources.
No, they are not "renewable" in the sense that more will be created more when they run out. The sun is not infinite, although you can practically call it that, since it won't matter any more when our sun dies.
People throw around the term "renewable" as a catch-all to distinguish such sources from those coming from FINITE resources, such as oil and gas that took millions of years to create and will be hard to replace when it's used up.
Geothermal is another "renewable" power source, as are ocean tides, biomass (e.g., burning chips from surplus trees). You can, in fact, grow more trees, as long as there are sunlight, air and soil nutrients.
They are only renewable as long as our sun lasts. Beyond that, I don't much care.
Of course, as long as the sun continues to shine, there will be solar energy, wind and rain to drive them.
If they are renewable, why and how?
