Ten Green Power Myths You Shouldn't Share On Twitter
What Is Green Power?
Green power is electricity produced by renewable sources like geothermal, solar and wind energy, biomass and hydroelectricity that has a low environmental impact. It is available to consumers in deregulated markets who want to help support green energy sources by adding an additional cost to their utility bills.
Renewable energy sources are typically less harmful to the planet than oil drilling or coal mining. They also reduce our greenhouse gas emission.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is among the most well-known green energy sources. Solar energy is a renewable resource since it never runs out. It is a clean, efficient and safe energy source that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution caused by conventional fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas and oil. This energy is an excellent alternative to nuclear power, which requires the mining and extraction of uranium, as well as long-term storage of radioactive waste.
My Mobility Scooters , photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar-thermal energy (CSP) are all ways to harness the power of the sun. Solar electricity can either be distributed directly to homes and businesses or to grids which distribute electricity to other. Some customers even can sell their surplus energy back to the utility company which can help reduce electricity bills and even offset rising utility costs.
All types of solar energy create no air emissions or pollutants, unlike fossil fuels that generate carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when they burn. Solar energy can also be used to power other types of devices, including satellites, boats and spacecrafts in areas where accessing the electricity grid is impractical or impossible.
Solar power can be used in smaller buildings. Many homeowners put PV cell panels on their roofs to produce electricity and passive solar homes design lets these homes let in sunlight during the day to provide warmth, and then store it at night. Solar-powered homes also benefit from needing minimal maintenance.
Another type of solar power is hydropower, which uses the natural flow of the water in streams, rivers and dams to generate electricity. Hydropower, like wind and biomass is a renewable resource since it can be replenished. Look through the EPA's list for third-party certified hydropower options if you want to add it to your office or at home.
Geothermal Energy
A geothermal energy plant uses heat from the Earth's interior in order to produce electricity. The process makes use of hot water and steam which naturally occur a few kilometers beneath the Earth's surface. It is renewable and a sustainable energy source that generates electricity 24 hours a days, 365 of the year. Geothermal power is a great way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is also among the most eco-friendly sources of energy generation.
The most commonly used geothermal power station is a flash-steam plant. It uses water at temperatures of around 182deg C (360deg F) to generate electricity and power turbines. The steam can also be used to heat buildings or other industrial processes. Iceland for instance, relies on geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its streets, sidewalks, and parking lots during the frigid Arctic winter.
A hot dry rock power plant is an additional geothermal source of energy. It taps underground reservoirs made up of dry, hot rock that has been heated by either natural activities. HDR plants are easier to build and operate because they require less infrastructure. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that there is enough HDR resources in the United States to meet all of our current energy needs.
Geothermal power stations that produce steam can be used as a source of electricity through steam turbine generators or gas-fired turbines to improve efficiency. The mixture can be converted into natural gas, and then burned in a boiler to generate electricity.
In addition to being safe and reliable, geothermal energy has the smallest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants, which use an engine to convert steam into electricity, produce very little nitrous oxide, methane, or sulfur dioxide.
Geothermal energy has its own challenges, despite the benefits. The drilling required to establish geothermal power plants can trigger earthquakes and could cause groundwater pollution. Injection of high-pressure water streams into geothermal reservoirs could cause subsidence. This is a gradual sinking that could damage roads, buildings, and pipelines.
Biogas
Biogas is an energy source that is renewable and gaseous that produces green power. It can be produced from agricultural waste, manure plant material and municipal waste, sewage, food waste, and other organic waste materials. Biogas can be used to produce electricity, heat and combined heat and power and can also be transformed into fuels for transport using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a great resource for generating renewable hydrogen to be used in fuel cells that are expected to play a significant role in the future of energy systems.
The most popular method to make biogas more valuable is by generating electricity in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The heat produced by the CHP plant is used to fuel the fermentation of organic wastes, while the electricity is fed back into the grid. It can be further converted into natural gas and blended into existing natural gas distribution systems. Biogas can also be used to substitute for imported mined natural gas in ground transportation, commercial and residential structures.
In addition to providing renewable energy, biogas can also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution from conventional cooking. The CCAC is working to provide tools to measure reporting and verifying (MRV) clean cooking practices in households in low to middle-income countries. This will help the 67 countries that have included clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions.
Utilizing biogas to substitute fossil fuels to generate electricity and as a substitute for conventional natural gas for cooling and heating will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other air pollutions. Biogas is also a sustainable substitute for coal, oil and other fossil fuels for production of liquid transport fuels.
By capturing and recovering methane by capturing and recovering methane, we can stop the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as well as the runoff of nitrogen which would otherwise pollute our water resources. The Plessis Gassot waste landfill, which is non-hazardous in Claye-Souilly, France, for example, captures biogas and turns it into a sustainable supply of energy for homes connected to the system. Additionally small-scale biogas facilities can be constructed in cities to permit the collection and use of local organic waste which will reduce greenhouse gases that are generated by the transport and treatment of these materials.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower is a renewable source of energy that uses the kinetic energies of water that flows. It is the most affluent and cost-effective source of renewable energy in the world. It doesn't produce direct greenhouse gases, but it has significant environmental impacts. It is a very flexible green power source that is easily modified to meet changes in supply and demand. It has a service life of more than 100 years and can be upgraded to improve efficiency and performance.
Most traditional hydropower plants use dams to harness the power of falling water. The energy generated by the water is converted into electricity through a series of turbines, which spin at a rate proportional to the speed of the water. The electricity is then transmitted to the grid for use.
Hydroelectric power plants require an enormous investment in pipes and reservoirs. However the operating costs are minimal. Furthermore, these plants can act as backups to other intermittent renewable power technologies like solar and wind.
There are two main kinds of hydroelectric plants which are run-of-river and storage. Storage plants are characterized by 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 plants are typically located close to or in areas with a high population density and where the demand for electricity is high.
The environmental impact of hydropower depends on the size and location of a dam as well as the amount of water that is displaced and the wildlife and habitat affected by inundation and decomposition. These effects can be mitigated and mitigated through the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for construction and operation of hydropower projects. The standards provide measures to protect the river's flow, water quality passage for fish and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species, recreation and cultural resources.
In addition, to generate renewable energy Hydropower plants also function as the world's largest "batteries." These are known as pumped storage facilities and work by pumping water uphill from a lower reservoir to a reservoir higher. When electricity is required, the water from the lower reservoir can be used to power generators. The water from the upper reservoir can then be pumped downwards via a turbine in order to create more electricity.