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What Is Green Power? Green power is electricity that's produced by renewable resources such as geothermal, solar, wind, some forms of biomass and hydroelectricity with low impact. Customers who are in markets that are not regulated can add a small premium to their utility bills to help support renewable energy sources that are cleaner. Renewable energies are often less harmful to the earth than coal or oil mining. They also can help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Energy Solar energy is among the most well-known green energy sources. Solar is considered a renewable resource because it will never be exhausted. It is a clean and efficient energy source which helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from fossil fuels like coal, oil natural gas, and coal. This energy is also a good alternative to nuclear power, which requires extraction and mining of uranium as well as long-term 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 power can be channeled directly into homes and businesses or it could be sent to grids that distribute electricity to other customers. Certain consumers have the option of selling their excess energy back to the utility company, which helps reduce electricity bills and even offset rising utility costs. Solar energy doesn't produce pollution or emissions to the air unlike fossil fuels that emit harmful carbon dioxide and harmful gases during combustion. Solar energy can be used to power satellites, boats, spacecrafts and other devices in areas where accessing the grid is difficult or impossible. Solar power can be used in smaller structures. Many homeowners install PV cells on their roofs to generate electricity. Passive solar homes allows for these homes to take advantage of the sun's warmth during the day and store it at night. Solar-powered houses also have the advantage of requiring very little maintenance. Another form of solar power is hydropower, which uses the natural flow of the water in streams, rivers and dams to produce electricity. Like wind and biomass hydropower, hydropower is renewable because it can be replenished. Look through the EPA's list of third party certified hydropower options if you are looking to include it in your home or office. Geothermal Energy A geothermal plant utilizes heat from the Earth to produce electricity. The process takes advantage of hot water and steam that naturally occur a few kilometers below Earth's surface. It is renewable and a sustainable energy source that can generate electricity 24 hours a days, 365 of the year. Geothermal energy can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and is one of the most eco-friendly forms of energy generation. The most popular type of geothermal power plant is a flash-steam power 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 is dependent on geothermal power to melt snow and heat its sidewalks, streets and parking spaces 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 dry, hot rock that has been heated by either natural activities. HDR plants are simpler to construct and operate as they require less infrastructure. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that there are 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 by using a steam turbine generator or combined with gas-fired turbines to increase efficiency. The mixture can be converted into natural gas, and then burned in a boiler to produce electricity. Geothermal energy isn't just clean and reliable but also has the smallest carbon footprint of all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants, that use an engine to convert steam into electricity, produce little-to-no nitrous oxide, methane, or sulfur dioxide. Geothermal energy comes with its own difficulties, despite its advantages. The drilling required to establish geothermal power plants could trigger earthquakes and could cause groundwater pollution. Furthermore, the dumping of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs could lead to subsidence, which is a gradual sinking of the terrain that can cause damage to pipelines, roads, and buildings. Biogas Biogas is a renewable gaseous energy source that can be utilized 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 heat and power, or it can be transformed into transport fuels using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a great resource for producing renewable hydrogen for use in fuel cells that are expected to play an important role in the future of energy systems. The most common way to maximize the value of biogas is 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. In Suggested Looking at , the electricity is then fed back to the grid. It can also be compressed into natural gases and blended into existing natural gas distribution systems. Biogas can also be used to substitute for natural gas imported from mines in commercial, ground transportation and residential structures. In addition to generating renewable energy, biogas can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from conventional cooking. The CCAC works to provide tools to measure reporting and verifying (MRV) the cleanliness of cooking practices in households in low to middle-income countries. This will help the 67 countries who have included clean-cooking goals in their Nationally Determined Contributions. Using biogas to replace fossil fuels for electricity generation as well as an alternative for traditional natural gas for cooling and heating will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well as other air pollutants. Biogas can also be used to produce liquid transport fuels that can be a sustainable alternative to coal, oil, and other fossil fuels. By capturing and recovering methane by capturing and recovering methane, we can stop the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the runoff of nitrogen which would otherwise pollute our water sources. Plessis-Gassot is a non-hazardous waste disposal located in Claye-Souilly (France) for instance is a biogas capture facility that converts into a sustainable source of energy for homes who are connected to the system. In addition, small-scale biogas plants can be set up in cities to permit the collection and use of local organic waste which will reduce greenhouse gases caused by transport and treatment of these materials. Hydroelectric Power Hydropower makes use of the kinetic energy of flowing water to generate electricity. It is the most sought-after and least expensive renewable energy source around the globe. It does not emit direct greenhouse gases, but it has significant environmental impacts. It is a flexible form of green power that is able to be adjusted to meet the changing needs of supply and demand. Its lifespan spans more than a century and it can be upgraded to increase efficiency and performance. The majority of traditional hydropower plants harness the energy of falling waters by using dams. A series of turbines converts the kinetic energy from the water into electricity at a rate proportional to the speed at which it travels. The electricity is then transferred to the grid to be used. Hydroelectric power plants require a significant investment in reservoirs and pipes. However the operating costs are low. Moreover, these flexible plants are able to serve as backups for other intermittent renewable power technologies like wind and solar. Hydroelectric plants can be classified into two kinds which are storage and run-of-river. Storage plants are distinguished by huge impoundments that hold more than a season's supply of water, whereas run-of-river facilities have a small impoundment and draw water from flowing rivers or streams. Hydropower plants are typically located near or in areas of high density of population and where the demand for electricity is high. The environmental impact of hydropower is largely dependent on the size and location, the amount of water that is being displaced, and the habitats and wildlife affected by decomposition and inundation. These effects can be mitigated and reduced through the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for the construction and operation of hydropower projects. The standards contain measures to control the flow of rivers, water quality protection and fish passage, as well as aquatic ecosystems protection, threatened and endangered animals, recreation and cultural resources. In addition, to generate renewable energy and power, some hydropower plants function as the world's biggest “batteries.” They are known as storage facilities that are pumped and operate by pumping water upwards from a lower pool to a higher reservoir. When there is a demand 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 turbines to generate more electricity.