The Next Big Thing In The Green Power Industry
What Is Green Power?
Green power is electricity produced by renewable resources such as geothermal, solar, wind and some kinds of biomass and hydroelectricity with low impact. Customers in deregulated markets are able to add a small fee on utility bills to help promote green energy sources.
Many renewable energies are less damaging to the environment than drilling for coal or oil. They also can aid in reducing greenhouse emissions of greenhouse gases.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is a popular green energy source. Solar is considered a renewable resource because it will never run out. It is a clean, efficient and safe energy source that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and pollution of the air from fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. This energy is a good alternative to nuclear power that requires mining, extraction and storage of radioactive waste.
Photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar-thermal energy (CSP) are all ways to harness the power of the sun. Solar power can be delivered directly to businesses and homes or to grids that supply electricity to other. Some customers even can sell their surplus energy back to the utility company, which can help keep electricity bills low and even offset rising utility prices.
All forms of solar energy produce zero emissions of pollutants or air, unlike fossil fuels that generate carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when they burn. Solar energy can also be used to power different types of devices, such as spacecrafts, boats, satellites and other vessels in areas where accessing the electricity grid is impractical or impossible.
On smaller scale, solar can be used to power buildings. Many homeowners install PV cells on their roofs in order to generate electricity. Passive solar home design allows these homes to take advantage of the sun's warmth during the day and store it in the evening. Solar-powered houses also benefit from requiring very little maintenance.
Hydropower is another type of solar energy that uses the natural flow of rivers, streams and dams. Like wind and biomass, hydropower is considered renewable since it can be replenished. If you're planning to incorporate hydropower into your home or business, check out the EPA's list of third party certified options.
Geothermal Energy
A geothermal energy plant uses heat from the Earth's interior in order to produce electricity. The process utilizes hot water and steam that naturally occurs just a few kilometers below Earth's surface. It is a remarkably sustainable and renewable energy source that produces electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Geothermal power is a great way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is also among the greenest sources of energy generation.
The most popular geothermal power station is a flash-steam plant. It uses water that is heated to 182degrees C or 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 sidewalks, streets and parking areas in the frigid Arctic winter.
A hot dry rock power plant is an additional geothermal source of energy. It taps underground reservoirs that are comprised of hot, dry rock that has been heated by either natural activities. HDR plants require significantly less infrastructure than geothermal power plants, which makes them easier and cheaper to construct and operate. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that there is enough HDR resources in the United States to meet all of our current energy needs.
The steam from geothermal power stations can be used as a source of electricity through steam turbine generators or combined with gas-fired turbines to improve efficiency. The mixture can be transformed into natural gas and burned in a boiler to produce electricity.
In addition to being safe and reliable, geothermal energy has the smallest carbon footprint among all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants, which use an engine to convert steam into electricity, generate little-to-no nitrous oxide, methane, or sulfur dioxide.
green power scooter comes with its own challenges, despite the benefits. The drilling required to construct geothermal power stations can cause earthquakes and can pollute groundwater. In addition, the injection of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs can cause subsidence, which is which is a gradual sinking of the terrain that can cause damage to pipelines roads, pipelines, and even buildings.
Biogas
Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source that can be utilized to generate green power. It is made from agricultural wastes, manure, plants wastewater, municipal garbage, food wastes and other organic wastes. Biogas can be converted into transport fuels, electricity heat and energy, combined heat and energy, or electricity, using the Fischer-Tropsch method. Biogas is also a viable resource for generating renewable hydrogen for use in fuel cells that are likely to play a major role in the future of energy systems.
The most popular method to valorize biogas is by creating electricity in a combined heat-and-power (CHP) plant. The heat from the CHP process is used to assist in the process of fermentation of organic waste, and the electricity is fed to the grid. Alternatively, it can be compressed into natural gas, and then incorporated into the existing natural gas distribution networks. Biogas can be used to replace imported gas in commercial and residential structures, ground transportation, and other areas.
Biogas is renewable energy source that can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 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 aid the 67 countries who have included clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions.
Utilizing biogas as an alternative to conventional natural gas for heating and cooling, and to replace fossil fuels for electricity generation, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced. Biogas can be used in the production of liquid transport fuels as an alternative to coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.
Capturing and recovering methane from animal manure and food waste stops the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and also preventing nitrogen runoff that would otherwise pollute water resources. Plessis-Gassot, a landfill that is not hazardous in Claye-Souilly (France), for example, captures and converts biogas into a sustainable source of energy for homes who are connected to the system. In addition small-scale biogas facilities can be installed in cities to permit the collection and utilization of organic waste that is generated locally which will reduce greenhouse gases that are generated by the transportation and treatment of these materials.
Hydroelectric Power
Hydropower is a renewable energy source that uses the kinetic energies of water flowing. It is the most powerful and most affordable renewable energy source in the world. It doesn't emit any greenhouse gases directly, but does require significant environmental impacts. It is a flexible form of green power that is easily modified to meet changes in supply and demand. Its lifespan spans more than 100 years and can be upgraded to increase efficiency and performance.
Most traditional hydropower plants use dams to harness the energy generated by falling water. The water's kinetic energy is converted into electricity through a series of turbines, which spin at a speed proportional to the speed of the water. The electricity is then transferred to the grid to be used.
Hydroelectric power plants require a large investment in pipes and reservoirs. However, operating costs are low. These flexible plants can also be used as backups to other intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
There are two kinds of hydroelectric plants that are run-of-river and storage. Storage plants are characterized by large impoundments, which can hold more than one season's worth of water. Run-of-river plants draw water from rivers and streams that are free-flowing. Hydropower plants are often situated near or in areas with high density of population and where the demand for electricity is high.
The environmental impact of hydropower largely is dependent on the size and location of a dam as well as the amount of water displaced, and the habitat and wildlife affected by inundation and decomposition. These impacts can be reduced and diminished by utilizing Low Impact Hydroelectricity Standards (LIHI) for the construction and operation of the hydropower project. The standards provide measures to protect the flow of rivers, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, endangered and threatened species, recreation and cultural resources.
Hydropower plants can also be the world's largest "batteries" because they produce renewable energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir uphill to a larger reservoir. If there is a requirement for electricity the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, while the water in the higher reservoir is pumped back downhill by a turbine to create more electricity.