What Is Green Power?
Green power is electricity that comes from renewable sources such as geothermal, solar and wind energy, biomass and hydroelectricity with a low environmental impact. It's available to customers in markets that are deregulated who want to support cleaner energy sources by paying an additional cost to their utility bill.
Renewable energy sources are generally less harmful to the environment than drilling for coal or oil. They also can help us reduce our greenhouse emissions of greenhouse gases.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is a well-known green energy source. Solar energy is a renewable resource since it never runs out. It is an efficient, clean and safe energy source that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as air pollution caused by conventional fossil fuels like natural gas, coal and oil. This energy is a great alternative to nuclear power that requires mining, extraction and storage of radioactive waste.
Photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar thermal energy (CSP) are all ways to harness the sun's power. Solar energy can be directly channeled into homes and businesses or it could be delivered to grids that supply power to other customers. Some consumers even can sell their excess energy back to the utility company, which can help reduce electricity bills and even offset rising utility costs.
Solar energy produces no air pollutants or emissions unlike fossil fuels, which emit harmful carbon dioxide and harmful gases when they are burned. Solar energy can also be used to power different types of devices, including satellites, boats and spacecrafts, where accessing the electrical grid is either impossible or not practical.
On smaller scales solar can also be utilized to power buildings. Many homeowners put PV solar panels on their roofs in order to generate electricity and passive solar homes design allows these houses to welcome in the sun's rays during the day for warmth and then keep the warmth at night. Solar-powered homes also benefit from needing very little maintenance.
Hydropower is a kind of solar energy that uses the natural flow of streams, rivers dams, and streams. Hydropower, like biomass and wind is a renewable resource since it can be replenished. Check out the EPA's list of third party certified hydropower options if want to add it to your office or home.
Geothermal Energy
A geothermal energy plant harnesses heat from the Earth's interior to produce electricity. The process takes advantage of hot water and steam that naturally occur a few kilometers below the surface of the Earth. mobility power is a sustainable and renewable energy source that generates electricity 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year. Geothermal power could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is also one of the greenest methods of energy production.
The most popular type of geothermal power plant is a flash steam power station. It uses water that is heated to 182degrees C or 360deg F to power turbines and produce electricity. Steam can be utilized to heat industrial processes or even buildings. Iceland, for example, relies on geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its sidewalks, streets and parking areas during the frigid Arctic winter.
Another source of geothermal energy is hot dry rock (HDR) power plant that taps underground reservoirs of hot dry rocks that are heated by man-made or natural activities. HDR plants are easier to construct and operate since they require less infrastructure. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there are enough HDR resources in the United States for all of our electrical needs currently.
The steam from geothermal power plants can be used to create electricity using a steam turbine generator, or it can be combined with a gas-fired generator for increased efficiency. The resultant mixture can be converted into natural gas, which can be burned in a traditional boiler to generate electricity.
In addition to being clean and reliable, geothermal energy also has the smallest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants, which utilize an engine to convert steam into electricity, produce little-to-no nitrous oxide, methane, or sulphur dioxide.
However, despite its benefits geothermal energy doesn't come without its difficulties. The drilling required to establish geothermal power stations can cause earthquakes and could pollute groundwater. Injection of high-pressure water streams into geothermal reservoirs may also cause subsidence. This is a gradual sinking that could damage roads, buildings pipelines, and other structures.
Biogas
Biogas is a renewable gaseous energy source that can be used to produce green energy. It is made from manure, agricultural wastes, plants and sewage, food wastes, municipal garbage, and other organic wastes. Biogas can be used to create electricity, heat, and also power and heat, or it can be transformed into transport fuels using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a valuable resource for generating renewable hydrogen for use in fuel cells, which are likely to play a major role in the future of global energy systems.
The most common way to make biogas more valuable is by generating electricity in the combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant. The heat produced by the CHP plant is utilized to fuel the fermentation of organic wastes, while the electricity is fed back into the grid. It can also be converted into natural gas and incorporated into the existing natural gas distribution networks. Biogas can also be used as a replacement for natural gas imported from mines in commercial, ground transportation and residential buildings.
In addition to generating renewable energy, biogas can also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution from conventional cooking. The CCAC is working to provide instruments to measure, report and confirming (MRV) of the clean cooking practices in communities and households in low-to-middle income countries, to help the 67 countries that have incorporated clean cooking as a goal in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Utilizing biogas to replace fossil fuels to generate electricity and as a substitute for conventional natural gas in cooling and heating will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other air pollutant emissions. Biogas can be used in the production of liquid transport fuels as an alternative to coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.
Recovering methane from food and animal manure waste prevents the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as preventing nitrogen runoff that would otherwise pollute water resources. The Plessis-Gassot landfill for non-hazardous waste in Claye-Souilly, France, for instance is a biogas capture facility that transforms it into a renewable source of energy for households connected to the system. Additionally small-scale biogas plants could be installed in cities to facilitate the collection and utilization of organic waste that is generated locally and avoiding the greenhouse gases that are caused by transport and treatment of these materials.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower uses the energy kinetics of water to generate electricity. It is the most affluent and cost-effective source of renewable energy in the world. It releases no greenhouse gases directly, but does require significant environmental impacts. It is a flexible type of green energy that can easily be adjusted to meet the changing demand and supply. It has a lifespan of more than 100 years and can be upgraded for improved efficiency and performance.
The majority of traditional hydropower plants utilize dams to harness the power of falling water. The water's kinetic energy is converted into electricity by the use of turbines which spin at a speed proportional to the velocity of the water. This electricity is then transmitted to the grid of electricity for use.
Hydroelectric power plants require a large investment in pipes and reservoirs. However the operating costs are minimal. Furthermore, these plants can be used as backups for other intermittent renewable power technologies like wind and solar.
There are two main types of hydroelectric plants which are run-of-river and storage. Storage plants are characterized by large impoundments that can store more than one season's worth of water. Run-of-river plants draw the water of streams and rivers that flow freely. Hydropower facilities are often located near concentrations of population, where there is a huge demand for electricity.
The environmental impact of hydropower largely depends on the size and location of a dam as well as the amount of water displaced and the wildlife habitats and habitats affected by decomposition and inundation. These effects can be minimized and diminished by utilizing Low Impact Hydroelectricity Standards (LIHI) for the construction and operation of the hydropower projects. The standards cover measures to control river flows, water quality protection passage of fish, aquatic ecosystems protection, threatened and endangered animals as well as recreation and cultural resources.
Certain hydropower plants are the world's biggest "batteries" because they produce renewable energy by pumping water from a lower pool uphill to a larger reservoir. When there is a demand for electricity, the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, and the water in the higher reservoir is then pumped back downhill via a turbine to create more electricity.