What Is Green Energy?

Green energy refers to any type of energy that is renewable, clean and has low-to-no environmental impact. Renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydroelectric power can be used to create green electricity.

In deregulated states, you can also purchase competitive green power products from suppliers other than your utility. These supplies are billed through your utility bill.

Renewable Energy Sources

Derived from natural resources that are abundant and continuously replenished, green energy is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels for power generation and transportation. It can be found in solar, wind, geothermal and biomass sources.

Renewables are often locally produced and offer greater stability in the energy market by not being dependent on geopolitical crisis or price spikes. Moreover, they contribute to the economic development of nations and support poverty alleviation by creating jobs in energy production.

The energy generated from these renewable sources does not produce any pollution, as opposed to fossil fuels. This is because green energy sources are considered zero (solar and wind), low (geothermal) or neutral with respect to greenhouse gas emissions during their operation.

Businesses benefit from adopting renewable energy by reducing their carbon footprint, improving operating efficiency and creating new revenue streams. For example, companies that generate more renewable energy than they consume can sell the excess to the grid and earn RECs. Additionally, they can also take advantage of innovative technologies that optimize energy systems and reduce costs.

Biomass

Biomass, or organic plant matter, is a renewable and sustainable source of energy. Biomass can be used to create a variety of green energy products, including fuels for transportation, heat and electricity. Biomass can be found in the form of wood, plants and animal waste.

In fact, humans have been using biomass to make fire for as long as they’ve been around. When used to generate electricity, biomass can be a clean, carbon-neutral source of power.

When trees are burned to produce biomass green energy energy, they suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as they grow and sequester it into their wood. This is how forests are one of the largest carbon sequestration technologies on the planet.

However, harvesting trees and planting new ones to replace them releases carbon into the atmosphere. This is why it’s important to use sustainable biomass energy. And, while some systems of biomass energy can reduce carbon emissions, it’s impossible to achieve zero carbon from this type of power generation. It’s also not as efficient as it could be.

Geothermal

The constant temperature under the Earth’s surface allows for the creation of green energy that can be used to heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer. This is called geothermal heating and cooling (GHC).

In 2019, geothermal power plants produced 16 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in the United States. This is only a small fraction of the potential for this renewable resource since only a quarter of geothermal wells are currently utilized.

To generate geothermal electricity, wells are drilled into underground reservoirs of hot water. The oldest type, dry steam power plants, pulls hot water up through natural fractures and then uses the water to spin a turbine that creates electricity. The more common flash and binary power plants use circulating tracks to pump water through a secondary working fluid that has a lower boiling point than the original reservoir water. The heated working fluid then turns into steam that drives a generator to produce electricity.

The heat pumped up from underground can also be used for other purposes like piping hot water underneath roads and sidewalks to melt snow and for growing crops in greenhouses. Another new technology called Enhanced Geothermal Systems or EGS, involves injecting liquid into dry cracks and gaps in the Earth’s crust to stimulate more thermal energy to be extracted.

Wind

Wind is a free, renewable energy resource that can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Modern wind turbines collect the kinetic energy of atmospheric winds and convert it to electricity. These machines are similar to water-pumping windmills that once were widely used on farms and ranches, often to supply electricity for homes or businesses.

Located on land or at sea, these massive structures feature dozens of blades that spin as the wind passes over them. golf cart Wind power can be combined with solar to create a cleaner, more efficient source of clean energy. It also requires no drilling or mining, and its cost continues to decline with advances in technology and U.S.-based manufacturing.

In addition, the wind industry helps communities by generating more than $2 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments each year. This additional revenue can help support local schools, reduce homeowner taxes or address other community needs. Wind and solar generate electricity without producing planet-heating emissions, and they’re a critical part of our clean energy future.

Solar

Solar energy is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. It is often used on a large scale to power power stations or on residential rooftops to power homes and businesses. Solar energy can also be stored in batteries and used at night.

Solar power has a smaller environmental impact than fossil fuels, which produce greenhouse gases. It is also a renewable energy source, meaning it can be replaced naturally and won’t deplete the earth’s resources.

Solar power is also an excellent way to boost your business’s CSR (corporate social responsibility). Customers are becoming increasingly selective about which businesses they buy from, and many are choosing companies that are greener than others. As a result, it’s important to make your green energy options as visible as possible. This is especially true if you have space on your roof to install solar panels, or if you’re interested in community solar, which can be a good option if your home or roof won’t support a full-scale installation.