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What Is Green Power? Green power is electricity produced from renewable sources such as geothermal, solar and wind energy, biomass, and hydroelectricity with minimal impact. Customers who are in markets that are not regulated can add a small premium on utility bills to help promote green energy sources. Renewable energy sources are generally less harmful to the earth than coal or oil mining. They can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Energy Solar energy is among the most well-known green energy sources. Solar energy is considered to be renewable because it will never be exhausted. It is a clean, efficient and secure energy source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollution of the air from fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. This energy is an excellent alternative to nuclear power, which requires the extraction and mining of uranium, as well as long-term radioactive waste storage. green electric scooter 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 that supply power to others. Some customers can sell their excess energy to the utility company. This can lower the cost of electricity and offset rising utility costs. Solar energy produces no emissions or air pollutants, unlike fossil fuels which emit harmful gases and carbon dioxide during combustion. Solar energy can be used to power satellites boats, spacecrafts and other devices in areas where accessing the electric grid is a challenge or even impossible. Solar power can be used in smaller buildings. Many homeowners put PV cells on their roofs to produce electricity. Passive solar home design allows for these homes to absorb the sun's heat throughout the day and keep it at night. Solar-powered houses also have the benefit of needing very little maintenance. Hydropower is another type of solar energy that makes use of the natural flow in streams, rivers and dams. Like biomass and wind hydropower, hydropower is a renewable resource because it can be replenished. Check out the EPA's list for third-party certified hydropower options if you would like to incorporate it into your office or home. Geothermal Energy A geothermal energy plant draws heat from the Earth's interior to produce electricity. The process takes advantage of steam and hot water that naturally occur a few kilometers below Earth's surface. It is a remarkably sustainable and renewable energy source that generates electricity 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year. Geothermal energy can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and is among the most environmentally friendly forms of power generation. The most common geothermal power station is the flash-steam plant. This makes use of water at a temperature of about 182deg C (360deg F) to power turbines and generate electricity. The steam can also be used to heat buildings, or other industrial processes. Iceland for instance relies on the geothermal power to melt snow, heat its sidewalks, streets and parking areas during the frigid Arctic Winter. Another geothermal energy source is hot dry rock (HDR) power plant, which taps underground reservoirs of hot dry rock that are heated by man-made or natural activities. HDR plants are less difficult to construct and operate as they require less infrastructure. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there are enough HDR resources in the United States for all of our electrical needs currently. The steam from geothermal power plants can be used to create electricity by using a steam turbine generator, or it could be combined with a gas-fired turbine for increased efficiency. The mixture is able to be converted into natural gas, and then burned in a boiler to produce electricity. In addition to being clean and reliable, geothermal energy has the smallest carbon footprint among all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants, which utilize an engine to convert steam into electricity, produce minimal or no methane, nitrous oxide, or sulfur dioxide. Geothermal energy comes with its own challenges, despite the advantages. The drilling needed to build geothermal power plants could trigger earthquakes and can cause groundwater pollution. Injection of high-pressure water streams into geothermal reservoirs may also cause subsidence. This is a gradual sinking process that can cause damage to roads, buildings pipelines and buildings. Biogas Biogas is a renewable gaseous energy source that can generate green power. It can be made from manure, agricultural wastes, plants and sewage, food wastes, municipal garbage and other organic wastes. Biogas can be used to generate electricity, heat, and also heat and power and can also be transformed into transport fuels using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas can also be used to make renewable hydrogen that is used in fuel cells. Fuel cells are predicted to play an important role in the future energy systems in the world. The most popular method to valorize biogas is by creating electricity in a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The heat generated by the CHP plant is used to fuel the process of fermentation of organic wastes, while the electricity is fed back into the grid. In addition, it can be compressed into natural gas and incorporated into existing distribution networks for natural gas. Biogas can be used to replace imported mined gas in residential and commercial buildings, ground transportation and other areas. Biogas is renewable energy source that can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The CCAC is working to provide tools to measure, report and confirming (MRV) of healthy cooking in communities and households in low- to middle-income countries, to help the nations that have included clean cooking as a goal in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Utilizing biogas to substitute fossil fuels for electricity generation and as an alternative for traditional natural gas in heating and cooling will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other air pollutions. Biogas can be used in the production of liquid transportation fuels as an alternative to oil, coal and other fossil fuels. Recovering methane from animal manure and food waste stops the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, as well as stopping nitrogen runoff that could otherwise pollute water resources. The Plessis-Gassot landfill for non-hazardous waste in Claye-Souilly, France, for example collects biogas and converts it into a sustainable source of energy for the households that are connected to the system. Additionally small-scale biogas plants could be set up in cities to facilitate the collection and utilization of organic waste from local sources and avoiding the greenhouse gases that are associated with the transport and treatment of these materials. Hydroelectric Power Hydropower is a renewable energy source that uses the kinetic energies of flowing water. It is the biggest and most affordable renewable power 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 able to be modified to meet changes in supply and demand. Its service life spans over 100 years, and it is able to be upgraded to improve 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 the turbines that spin at a speed proportional to the velocity of the water. The electricity is then transferred to the grid of electricity for use. Hydroelectric power plants require a significant investment in pipes and reservoirs. However the operating costs are low. Furthermore, these plants are able to serve as backups for other intermittent renewable power sources such as wind and solar. There are two main types of hydroelectric plants: storage and run-of-river. Storage plants have huge impoundments that can store more than one season's worth of water. Run-of-river facilities draw water from rivers and streams that flow freely. Hydropower facilities are usually located in or near concentrations of population, and in areas where there is a high demand for electricity. The environmental impact of hydropower is largely dependent on the size and location, the amount of water being displaced, and the wildlife and habitats affected by decomposition and flooding. These effects can be minimized and reduced through the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity Standards (LIHI) for the construction and operation of the hydropower project. The standards contain measures to safeguard river flows and water quality passage for fish and protection of watershed protection, threatened and endangered species, recreation, as well as cultural resources. In addition to generating renewable energy, some hydropower plants act as the world's largest “batteries.” These are called pumped storage facilities and work by pumping water uphill from a lower reservoir to a larger reservoir. If electricity is required, the water from the lower reservoir can be used to power generators. The water from the reservoir above is then pumped downhill via a turbine in order to create more electricity.