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What Is Green Power? Green power is electricity produced by renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, as well as other forms of biomass and hydroelectricity with low impact. Customers in deregulated markets can add a small premium to utility bills to support renewable energy sources that are cleaner. Many renewable energies are less harmful to the environment than drilling for coal or oil. They also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Energy Solar energy is among the most well-known green sources of power. Solar energy is a renewable source because it never runs out. It is an efficient, clean and secure energy source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from conventional fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal and oil. This energy source is a great alternative to nuclear power that requires the mining extraction, storage and storage of radioactive waste. The sun's energy can be utilized to create electricity in a variety ways such as photovoltaic (PV) panels as well as concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP), and solar thermal collectors. Solar electricity can either be delivered directly to homes and businesses or to grids which distribute power to others. Some customers even can sell their excess energy back to the utility company, which helps keep electricity costs low and even offset rising utility costs. All types of solar energy create no air emissions or pollutants, unlike fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when they burn. Solar energy can be used to power satellites boats, spacecrafts, and other devices in areas where accessing the grid is a challenge or even impossible. Solar power can be used in smaller buildings. Many homeowners use PV cells on their roofs to produce electricity. Passive solar home design allows for these homes to take advantage of the sun's warmth throughout the day and keep it in the evening. Solar-powered homes also benefit from the requirement for minimal maintenance. Another type of solar power is hydropower, which uses the natural flow of water in rivers, streams and dams to produce electricity. Hydropower, like biomass and wind is a renewable resource as it can be replenished. Look through the EPA's list of 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 hot water and steam that naturally occur a few kilometers below the surface of the earth. It is a renewable and sustainable energy source that generates electricity 24 hours a days, 365 of the year. Geothermal power is a great way to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. It is also one of the most eco-friendly sources of energy generation. The most popular geothermal power plant is the flash-steam plant. It uses water that is heated to 182degrees C or 360deg F to generate electricity and power turbines. Steam can be utilized to heat industrial processes and buildings. Iceland for instance relies on geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its streets, sidewalks and parking areas in the frigid Arctic winter. Another source of energy from geothermal sources is hot dry rock (HDR) power plant that taps underground reservoirs of hot dry rocks that are heated by man-made or natural activities. HDR plants are easier to build and operate because they require less infrastructure. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there is enough HDR sources in the United States for all of our current electrical requirements. The geothermal steam produced by plants can be used to create electricity by using a steam turbine generator, or be coupled with a gas-fired turbine for increased efficiency. The resultant mixture could be converted to natural gas, which is burned in a traditional boiler to produce electricity. Geothermal energy is not just reliable and clean, but it also has the smallest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants that utilize an engine to turn steam into electricity generate minimal or no nitrous oxide methane, sulphur, or methane oxide. Geothermal energy is not without its challenges, despite the benefits. The drilling required to construct geothermal power plants can trigger earthquakes and pollute groundwater. In addition, the injection of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs may cause subsidence, which is a slow sinking of the land that can damage pipelines roads, pipelines, and even buildings. Biogas Biogas is a renewable gaseous energy source that can be used to generate green power. It can be produced from agricultural waste, manure, plant material such as sewage, municipal waste, food waste, and other organic waste materials. Biogas can be used to create electricity, heat, and also power and heat and can also be transformed into transport fuels using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a great resource for producing renewable hydrogen to be used in fuel cells which are expected to play an important role in the future of global energy systems. The most common way to make biogas more valuable is by producing electricity through a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The heat produced by the CHP plant is used to fuel the process of fermentation of organic wastes. In turn, 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 as a substitute for imported mined natural gas in ground transportation, commercial and residential structures. In addition to generating renewable energy, biogas can also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution from cooking conventionally. The CCAC is working to provide tools to measure reporting and verifying (MRV) healthy cooking in households of low- to middle-income countries. This will assist the 67 countries who have included clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions. By using biogas as a substitute for traditional natural gas for heating and cooling, and to replace fossil fuels used in the production of electricity, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced. Biogas can also be used to create liquid transportation fuels as an alternative to oil, coal, and other fossil fuels. Capturing and recovering methane from food and animal manure waste stops the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and also stopping nitrogen runoff that could otherwise pollute water resources. Plessis-Gassot, a landfill that is not hazardous in Claye-Souilly (France) for instance is a biogas capture facility that converts into a sustainable source of energy for households that are connected to the system. Additionally small-scale biogas facilities can be installed in cities to permit the collection and use of organic waste that is generated locally 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 flowing water. It is the most affluent and cost-effective renewable energy source in the world. It does not produce direct greenhouse gases however it has significant environmental impact. It is a flexible type of green energy that can be adjusted to meet the changing demand and supply. Its lifespan spans more than 100 years, and it can be upgraded to increase efficiency and performance. The majority of hydropower plants that are traditional use dams to harness the power of falling water. The kinetic energy of the water is converted into electricity through the turbines that spin at a speed proportional to the speed of the water. This electricity is then transmitted to the electric grid to be used. While constructing a hydroelectric power plant requires huge investments in reservoirs, dams and pipes, the operating costs are quite low. These plant types can be utilized as backups to other renewable energy technologies that are intermittent like wind and solar. Hydroelectric power plants can be classified into two kinds: storage and run-of-river. Storage plants are characterized by huge impoundments that hold more than a year's worth of water, while run-of-river facilities have small impoundment and use water from free-flowing streams or rivers. Hydropower plants are often located near or in areas with high density in areas where demand for electricity is high. The environmental impact of hydropower depends on the size and location of a dam and the amount of water displaced as well as the wildlife and habitat affected by inundation and decomposition. These impacts can be minimized and reduced through the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for the construction and operation of hydropower projects. green power mobility include measures to safeguard the river's flow as well as water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species, recreation, as well as cultural resources. Hydropower plants can also be the world's largest “batteries” because they generate renewable energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir uphill to a bigger reservoir. When there is a need for electricity, the water in the lower reservoir is released to power generators, whereas the water in the higher reservoir is pumped back downhill by a turbine to create more electricity.