What Is Green Power?
Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources such as geothermal, solar, and wind energy, biomass and hydroelectricity with a low environmental impact. Customers in deregulated markets can add a small amount to utility bills to support green energy sources.
Renewable energy sources are generally less harmful to the planet than coal or oil mining. They also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is among the most popular green sources of power. Solar energy is a renewable resource since it never runs out. It is a safe and efficient energy source which helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. It is an excellent alternative to nuclear power, which requires the extraction and mining of uranium as well as long-term storage of radioactive waste.
The sun's radiation can be utilized to create electricity in many ways, including photovoltaic (PV) panels and concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) and solar thermal collectors. Solar power can be channeled directly into homes and businesses, or it could be sent to grids that distribute electricity to other customers. Some customers can sell their excess energy to the utility company. This could help lower electricity bills and offset the rising cost of utilities.
Solar energy produces no air pollutants or emissions, unlike fossil fuels which produce harmful gases and carbon dioxide during combustion. Solar energy can be used to power satellites boats, spacecrafts, and other devices that are located in areas where access to the grid is a challenge or even impossible.
On smaller scale solar can also be used to power buildings. Many homeowners put PV cells on their roofs in order to generate electricity. Passive solar design of homes allows for these homes to take advantage of the sun's warmth during the day and store it at night. Solar-powered homes also benefit from the fact that they require little maintenance.
Hydropower is a different type of solar energy that uses the natural flow of streams, rivers dams, and streams. Like biomass and wind, hydropower is considered renewable since it can be replenished. Take a look at the EPA's list of third-party certified hydropower options if you would like to incorporate it into your home or office.
Geothermal Energy
A geothermal energy plant uses heat from the Earth's interior to produce electricity. The process utilizes steam and hot water that naturally occur a few kilometers below surface of the Earth. It is a renewable and sustainable energy source that generates electricity 24 hours a days throughout the year. Geothermal energy can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and is one of the most eco-friendly methods of power generation.
The most popular geothermal power plant is the flash-steam plant. It uses water at temperatures of around 182deg C (360deg F) to power turbines and generate electricity. The steam can also be used to heat buildings, or other industrial processes. Iceland for instance relies on the geothermal power to melt snow and heat its streets, sidewalks and parking lots in the frigid Arctic Winter.
Another source of geothermal energy is hot dry rock (HDR) power plant that taps underground reservoirs of hot dry rock that are heated by either natural or human-made activities. HDR plants are easier to build and operate because they require less infrastructure. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there are enough HDR resources in the United States for all of our current electrical needs.
The geothermal steam produced by plants can be used to produce electricity by using a steam turbine generator, or it can be combined with a gas-fired generator to improve efficiency. The resulting mixture can then be converted to natural gas, which is burned in a conventional boiler to generate electricity.
In green power folding mobility scooter to being clean and reliable, geothermal energy has the lowest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants that employ an engine to convert steam into electricity create very little or no nitrous dioxide methane, sulphur and oxide.
However, despite its advantages geothermal energy doesn't come without its difficulties. The drilling required to establish geothermal power plants could trigger earthquakes and could pollute groundwater. Injection of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs may also cause subsidence. This is a gradual sinking that can damage roads, buildings, and pipelines.
Biogas
Biogas is an energy source that is renewable and gaseous that can generate green power. It can be 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 heat and power, or it can be transformed into transport fuels using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas can also be used to produce renewable hydrogen, which is then used in fuel cells. Fuel cells are expected to play an important role in the future energy systems around the globe.
The most popular method to make biogas more valuable is by producing electricity through a combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant. The heat produced by the CHP process is used to support the fermentation of the organic waste and the electricity is fed to the grid. In addition, it can be converted into natural gas, and then incorporated into existing distribution networks for natural gas. Biogas can be used to replace imported mined gas in residential and commercial structures, ground transportation, and other areas.
In addition to providing renewable energy, biogas could also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution from traditional cooking. The CCAC is attempting to provide instruments to measure, report and verification (MRV) of clean cooking within communities and households in low- to middle-income countries in order to assist the 67 countries that have incorporated clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Biogas can be used as an alternative to conventional natural gas for cooling and heating, and to replace fossil fuels in the production of electricity, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced. Biogas can also be used to produce liquid transport fuels that can be an alternative that is sustainable to oil, coal, and other fossil fuels.
Capturing and recovering methane from animal manure and food waste helps to prevent the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as preventing nitrogen runoff that would otherwise cause water pollution. The Plessis-Gassot non-hazardous waste landfill in Claye-Souilly, France, for example collects biogas and converts it into a sustainable supply of energy for the households that are connected to the system. Small-scale biogas facilities can also be set up in cities, allowing the collection and utilization of organic waste locally. This can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with transport and treatment.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower harnesses the energy kinetics of water to generate electricity. It is the most popular and cheapest renewable energy source around the globe. It doesn't emit any greenhouse gases directly, but has significant environmental impact. It is a flexible type of green energy that can easily be adjusted to meet changing demand and supply. It has a lifespan of more than 100 years and is able to be upgraded for improved efficiency and performance.
The majority of traditional hydropower plants utilize dams to harness the power of falling water. A series of turbines converts the kinetic energy from the water into electricity at a speed that is proportional to its speed. The electricity is then transferred to the grid for use.
While building a hydroelectric power plant requires a massive investment in reservoirs, dams and pipes, the operating costs are quite low. Furthermore, these plants are able to serve as backups to other intermittent renewable power sources such as wind and solar.
Hydroelectric plants can be divided into two kinds: storage and run of river. Storage plants have large impoundments, which can store more than one season's worth of water. Run-of-river plants use water from rivers and streams that are free-flowing. Hydropower facilities are typically situated near or in proximity to areas of population, where there is a huge demand for electricity.
The environmental impact of hydropower largely depends on the size and location of the dam as well as the amount of water that is displaced as well as the habitat and wildlife affected by decomposition and inundation. These effects can be minimized and reduced by using Low Impact Hydroelectricity Standards (LIHI) for the construction and operation of hydropower project. The standards contain measures for water quality, river flows, protection and fish passage, as well as protection of aquatic ecosystems endangered and threatened species recreation and cultural resources.
Some hydropower plants are also the largest in the world "batteries" because they can generate renewable energy by pumping water from a lower pool uphill to a larger reservoir. If there is a requirement for electricity then the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, while the water in the higher reservoir is then pumped back downhill via an engine to produce more electricity.
