20 Things That Only The Most Devoted Green Power Fans Are Aware Of

What Is Green Power?

Green power is electricity that comes from renewable sources like geothermal, solar, and wind energy, biomass and hydroelectricity that has a low impact. Customers who are in markets that are not regulated can add a small premium to their utility bills to help support green energy sources.

Renewable energy sources are generally less damaging to the environment than drilling for oil or mining coal. They can also help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is among the most popular green energy sources. Solar energy is a renewable source because it never runs out. It is a clean, efficient and secure energy source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from conventional fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal and oil. This energy is also a good alternative to nuclear power, which requires mining and extraction of uranium and long-term radioactive waste storage.

The sun's energy 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 distributed directly to homes and businesses or to grids that supply power to other. Some customers can sell excess energy to the utility company. This can help reduce electricity bills and offset the rising cost of utilities.

Solar energy doesn't produce pollution or emissions to the air unlike fossil fuels that emit harmful gases and carbon dioxide during combustion. Solar energy can also be used to power other types of devices, such as spacecrafts, satellites, and boats, where accessing the electrical grid is impractical or impossible.

On a smaller scale solar power can be utilized to power buildings. Many homeowners use PV cells on their roofs to produce electricity. Passive solar homes allows for these homes to take advantage of the sun's warmth throughout the day and keep it in the evening. Solar-powered homes also benefit from the fact that they require very minimal maintenance.

Another type of solar power is hydropower, which utilizes the natural flow of the water in streams, rivers and dams to generate electricity. Like wind and biomass hydropower, it is a renewable resource because it can be replenished. Look through the EPA's list for third-party certified hydropower options if want to add it to your home or office.

Geothermal Energy

A geothermal plant utilizes the heat of the Earth to generate electricity. The process involves hot water and steam which naturally occur just a few kilometers beneath the Earth's surface. It is an environmentally sustainable and renewable energy source that produces electricity 24 hours a days throughout the year. Geothermal power could reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. It is also one of the greenest methods of energy production.

The most popular geothermal power station is a flash-steam plant. This uses water at temperatures of approximately 182deg C (360deg F) to power turbines and generate electricity. Steam can be utilized to heat industrial processes or even buildings. Iceland for instance utilizes geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its sidewalks, streets and parking areas during the cold Arctic winter.

Another geothermal energy source is a hot dry rock (HDR) power plant that taps underground reservoirs of hot dry rock that have been heated by natural or man-made activities. HDR plants require significantly less infrastructure than geothermal power plants, which makes them easier and cheaper to construct and operate. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there is enough HDR sources in the United States for all of our current electrical requirements.

The steam from geothermal power stations can be used as a source of power by using steam turbine generators or combined with a gas fired turbine to boost efficiency. The mixture can be converted into natural gas and burned in a boiler to produce electricity.

In addition to being clean and reliable, geothermal energy also has the lowest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants that use an engine to convert steam into electricity generate minimal or no nitrous oxide, methane, and sulphur oxide.

Geothermal energy comes with its own difficulties, despite its advantages. The drilling required to construct geothermal power stations can cause earthquakes and pollute the groundwater. Injection of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs can cause subsidence. This is a slow sinking process that can cause damage to roads, buildings pipelines, and other structures.

Biogas

Biogas is an energy source made of renewable gaseous substances that produces green power. It can be produced from agricultural wastes, manure, plants wastewater municipal garbage, food wastes and other organic wastes. Biogas can be converted to transport fuels, electricity heat, combined heat and energy, or electricity by using the Fischer-Tropsch method. Biogas can also be used to create renewable hydrogen which is used in fuel cells. Fuel cells are predicted to play a significant role in the future energy systems in the world.

The most common way to maximize the value of biogas is generating electricity in the combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant. The heat from the CHP process is used to assist in the fermentation process of organic waste and the electricity is fed into the grid. Biogas can be further compressed into natural gas and blended into existing natural gas distribution systems. Biogas can be used to replace imported gas in residential and commercial structures, ground transportation, and other areas.

In addition to providing renewable energy, biogas could also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from traditional cooking. The CCAC provides tools to measure reporting and verifying (MRV) the cleanliness of cooking in households of low- to middle-income countries. This will assist the 67 countries that have included clean-cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions.

Utilizing biogas to replace fossil fuels to generate electricity and as a substitute for traditional natural gas in cooling and heating will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other air pollutant emissions. Biogas is also a sustainable alternative to coal, oil and other fossil fuels for production of liquid transport fuels.

Capturing and recovering methane from food and animal manure waste stops the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and also preventing nitrogen runoff that could otherwise cause water pollution.  power mobility -Gassot non-hazardous waste landfill in Claye-Souilly, France, for instance, captures biogas and turns it into a sustainable supply of energy for households connected to the system. Small-scale biogas facilities may also be installed in cities, allowing the collection and utilization of organic waste locally. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transportation and treatment.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydropower makes use of the energy generated by the kinetic energy of water to generate electricity. It is the most popular and cheapest source of renewable energy in the world. It does not emit greenhouse gases, but it does require significant environmental impacts. It is a very flexible form of green power that can be easily modified to meet changes in demand and supply. It is able to last a life of more than a hundred years and can be upgraded for improved efficiency and performance.

Most traditional hydropower plants harness energy of the falling water by using dams. A series of turbines converts the kinetic energy from the water into electricity at a rate proportional to its speed. The electricity is then transferred to the grid for use.

Although constructing an hydroelectric power plant requires a massive investment in reservoirs, dams and pipes, the operating costs are relatively low. These plant types can be utilized as backups to other renewable energy technologies that are intermittent such as solar and wind.

There are two major types of hydroelectric plants that are run-of-river and storage. Storage plants are characterized by large impoundments that store more than a season's supply of water. Run-of-river facilities have small impoundment and utilize water from free-flowing streams or rivers. Hydropower plants are usually located near or in areas of high density of population in areas where demand for electricity is high.

The environmental impact of hydropower is largely dependent on the size and area of the project, as well as the amount of water displaced, as well as the habitats and wildlife affected by decomposition and flooding. These impacts can be minimized and mitigated by the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for the construction and operation hydropower projects. The standards include measures to control the flow of rivers, water quality protection passage of fish, protection of aquatic ecosystems endangered and threatened animals, recreation and cultural resources.

Some hydropower plants are also the world's largest "batteries" because they produce renewable energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir uphill to a bigger reservoir. When there is a need for electricity, the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, whereas the water in the higher reservoir is then pumped back downhill via an engine to produce more electricity.