What Is Green Power?
Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources like geothermal, solar, and wind energy, biomass and hydroelectricity that has a low impact. Customers in markets that are deregulated are able to add a small fee on utility bills to help promote green energy sources.
Renewable energies are often less harmful to the planet than coal mining or oil drilling mining. They also reduce our greenhouse gas emission.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the most popular green sources of power. Solar energy is a renewable resource because it is never depleted. It is a clean and efficient energy source, which helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, such as oil, coal natural gas, and coal. This energy is a good alternative to nuclear power that requires mining extraction, storage and storage of radioactive waste.
The sun's radiation can be used to generate electricity in many ways such as photovoltaic (PV) panels, concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP), and solar thermal collectors. Solar energy can be directly channeled into homes and businesses or it could be sent to grids that distribute electricity to other customers. Some customers even can sell their excess energy back to the utility company which helps keep electricity bills low and even offset rising utility prices.
All forms of solar energy generate zero emissions of pollutants or air, unlike fossil fuels that create carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when they burn. Solar energy can be used to power satellites boats, spacecrafts and other devices in areas where accessing the grid is a challenge or even impossible.
Solar power can be utilized in smaller buildings. Many homeowners put PV cell 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 the fact that they require very minimal maintenance.
Another type of solar power is hydropower, which makes use of the natural flow of the water in streams, rivers and dams to produce electricity. Like biomass and wind, hydropower is considered renewable because it can be replenished. If you are looking to add hydropower to your business or home look into EPA's list of third-party certified options.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal plants use heat from the Earth to produce electricity. The process uses steam and hot water, which naturally occur just a few kilometers below the surface of the earth. It is an incredibly sustainable and renewable energy source that produces electricity 24 hours a day all year round. Geothermal power is a great way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is also one of the most environmentally friendly forms of energy generation.
The most common geothermal power station is the flash-steam plant. This uses water at temperatures of approximately 182deg C (360deg F) to generate electricity and power turbines. Steam can be used to heat industrial processes or buildings. Iceland for instance utilizes geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its streets, sidewalks and parking spaces during the cold Arctic winter.
A hot dry rock power plant is another geothermal source of energy. It taps underground reservoirs composed of dry, hot rock that has been heated by either natural processes. HDR plants are less difficult 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 current electrical needs.
The steam generated by geothermal power plants can be used to create electricity using a steam turbine generator, or it could be combined with a gas-fired turbine for increased efficiency. The resultant mixture can be converted to natural gas, which is then burned in a conventional boiler to produce electricity.
Geothermal energy is not just safe and reliable, but also has the lowest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants that use an engine to turn steam into electricity produce very little or no nitrous dioxide, methane, and sulphur oxide.
Geothermal energy comes with its own difficulties, despite its benefits. The drilling needed to build geothermal power plants can trigger earthquakes and could cause groundwater pollution. Injection of high-pressure streams in geothermal reservoirs could cause subsidence. This is a gradual sinking process that can cause damage to roads, structures pipelines and buildings.
Biogas
Biogas is a renewable gaseous energy source that can be utilized to generate 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 and can also be transformed into fuels for transport using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a great source of hydrogen that can be produced renewable for use in fuel cells which are expected to play an important role in the future of global energy systems.
The most commonly used method for valorisation of biogas is to generate electricity using the power of a combined heat and (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 be further compressed into natural gas and incorporated into existing natural gas distribution systems. Biogas can be used as a replacement for natural gas imported from mines in ground transportation, commercial and residential buildings.
Biogas is an energy source that is renewable and can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The CCAC is attempting to provide tools to measure, report and verification (MRV) of healthy cooking within communities and households in low- to middle-income countries, to help the 67 countries that have included clean cooking goals in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Utilizing biogas to substitute fossil fuels to generate electricity and as a substitute for traditional natural gas in heating and cooling will reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well as other air pollutions. Biogas is also a sustainable alternative to coal, oil and other fossil fuels for the production of liquid transportation fuels.
By collecting and recovering methane by capturing and recovering methane, we can stop the release of greenhouse gases into the air and the runoff of nitrogen which would otherwise pollute our water resources. Plessis-Gassot, a landfill that is not hazardous in Claye-Souilly (France), for instance, captures and converts biogas into a renewable source of energy for homes who are connected to the system. In addition small-scale biogas facilities can be set up in cities to allow for the collection and utilization of organic waste that is generated locally and avoiding the greenhouse gases that are associated with the transportation and treatment of these materials.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower makes use of the kinetic energy of flowing water to generate electricity. It is the biggest and most affordable renewable energy source in the world. It doesn't emit any greenhouse gases directly, but will have significant environmental impacts. It is a very flexible form of green power that is easily modified to meet changes in demand and supply. It has a service life of more than a hundred years and is able to be upgraded for improved efficiency and performance.
Most traditional hydropower plants use dams to harness the energy of falling water. The energy generated by the water is converted into electricity through the use of turbines that spin at a speed proportional to the velocity of the water. The electricity is then transferred to the electric grid to be used.
Hydroelectric power plants require an enormous investment in reservoirs and pipes. However the operating costs are minimal. Additionally, these plant are able to serve as backups for other intermittent renewable power technologies like solar and wind.
Hydroelectric plants can be divided into two types which are storage and run of river. Storage plants are distinguished by huge impoundments that hold more than a year's worth of water. Run-of-river facilities are small in size and use water from free-flowing rivers or streams. Hydropower plants are often located near or in areas with a high density of population in areas where demand for electricity is high.
The environmental impact of hydropower largely depends on the size and location of the dam, the amount of water displaced as well as the wildlife and habitat affected by inundation and decomposition. These effects can be reduced and mitigated by the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for construction and operation of hydropower projects. The standards include measures to protect river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, endangered and threatened species, recreation, and cultural resources.
Hydropower plants can also be the world's biggest "batteries" because they generate renewable energy by pumping water from a lower pool uphill to a bigger reservoir. If there is a requirement for electricity, the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, whereas the water in the upper reservoir is then pumped back downhill via turbines to generate more electricity.