When we talk about green energy, we typically refer to the three main types of renewable energy. These types of energy are geothermal, solar, and hydroelectricity. While all three are crucial for our everyday lives, geothermal energy tops the list due to its widespread appeal and reliability. With geothermal energy, we are able to harness the power of nature to provide energy to our homes at a very low cost, without polluting our environment in the process.
Solar power is popular because of the ease with which it is accessible. Today, you can install solar panels on your roof and have free electricity! Sunlight is harnessed by solar panels and converted into electricity using photovoltaic cells. Your residential electric bill will likely decrease after you install a solar panel system. The only downside is that you will not be able to generate enough electricity to completely eliminate your current electrical bill.
Green energy from geothermal plants is slightly less prevalent than solar energy. Geothermal plants extract energy from beneath the Earth’s surface using the earth’s heat and the ground’s water. Water is used to create steam, which in turn is used to boil water and generate electricity. Geothermal plants do not draw on fossil fuels, so if you want to run your entire household on clean energy you may need to wait for several years before the technology is fully developed.
Another type of green electricity that is becoming more popular each day is wind energy production. In a wind farm, turbines are set up to spin in a pattern in order to drive a generator. The wind turbine converts the kinetic energy produced by the wind to electricity. Wind farms can be located on either private or public lands. If your area does not support large numbers of wind turbines, there are some smaller scale projects available to supply small amounts of energy needed for your home.
You may be wondering what makes a hydroelectric plant so unique when it comes to renewable energy production. A hydroelectric plant uses the natural flow of water from a river or lake to turn heavy machinery such as trucks. The amount of energy produced from this type of plant is usually enough to completely power a home. Although smaller than a wind farm, hydroelectric energy production is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. However, if you have a large enough lake or river, you could provide all of your household needs without relying on electricity produced from fossil fuels. Hydroelectricity is most commonly used to produce hydropower, which is essentially a form of electricity produced from moving water.
Many people are wary of using renewable energy because they believe it will be expensive to start up and maintain. However, while it can cost money to purchase or install renewable source of energy sources, once installed it usually pays for itself. In addition, investing in renewable energy today will save you money in the long run because it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions you generate. As fossil fuels become less abundant, the need for carbon dioxide emissions reducing sources of energy will also decrease leading to cleaner air and a cleaner planet.
Coal is one of the oldest forms of renewable energy but it is quickly losing ground to renewable sources of energy like wind and solar. While coal still has some benefits, it is no longer the preferred source of energy because of the harmful effects it produces. Coal produces high levels of carbon dioxide when burned. If you think about it, you will realize that the amount of carbon dioxide released by coal plant operations is much higher than the number from a car’s tailpipe. If you were driving down the road at 70 miles per hour, you would be putting out about the same amount of carbon dioxide as a typical coal plant. However, if you were driving a hybrid car that runs primarily on electricity, you would be putting out far less carbon dioxide.
The fourth advantage and probably the most important one to consider are the fact that hydrogen fuel cells are now available and they can supply the power needed to run a home on one unit of hydrogen. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest renewable sources of energy so using it for fuel is a great advantage over traditional fossil fuels. In fact, researchers are currently trying to create a portable generator that could supply electricity to remote villages in disaster zones. Unlike coal and gas plants, hydrogen energy does not produce dangerous byproducts. As hydrogen continues to gain popularity, we will soon see the many different advantages of this type of alternative energy.