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Related Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Green energy is any energy type that is generated from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind or water. It often comes from renewable energy sources although there are some differences between renewable and green energy, which we will explore, below....
As a source of energy, green energy often comes from renewable energy technologies such as solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, biomass and hydroelectric power. Each of these technologies works in different ways, whether that is by taking power from the sun, as with solar panels, or using wind turbines or the flow of water to generate energy.
In order to be deemed green energy, a resource cannot produce pollution, such
as is found with fossil fuels. This means that not all sources used by the
renewable energy industry are green. For example, power generation that burns
organic material from sustainable forests may be renewable, but it is not
necessarily green, due to the CO 2 produced by the burning process itself.
Green energy sources are usually naturally replenished, as opposed to fossil fuel
sources like natural gas or coal, which can take millions of years to develop.
Green sources also often avoid mining or drilling operations that can be
damaging to eco-systems.
The main sources are wind energy, solar power and hydroelectric power (including tidal energy, which uses ocean energy from the tides in the sea). Solar and wind power are able to be produced on a small scale at people’s homes or alternatively, they can be generated on a larger, industrial scale...
Green energy is important for the environment as it replaces the negative effects
of fossil fuels with more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Derived from
natural resources, green energy is also often renewable and clean, meaning that
they emit no or few greenhouse gases and are often readily available.
Even when the full life cycle of a green energy source is taken into consideration,
they release far less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, as well as few or low
levels of air pollutants. This is not just good for the planet but is also better for
the health of people and animals that have to breathe the air.
Green energy can also lead to stable energy prices as these sources are often
produced locally and are not as affected by geopolitical crisis, price spikes or
supply chain disruptions. The economic benefits also include job creation in
building the facilities that often serve the communities where the workers are
employed. Renewable energy saw the creation of 11 million jobs worldwide in
2018, with this number set to grow as we strive to meet targets such as net zero.
Due to the local nature of energy production through sources like solar and wind
power, the energy infrastructure is more flexible and less dependent on
centralised sources that can lead to disruption as well as being less resilient to
weather related climate change.
Green energy also represents a low cost solution for the energy needs of many
parts of the world. This will only improve as costs continue to fall, further
increasing the accessibility of green energy, especially in the developing world.
There are plenty of examples of green energy in use today, from energy
production through to thermal heating for buildings, off-highway and transport.
Many industries are investigating green solutions and here are a few examples:
1.Heating and Cooling in Buildings
Green energy solutions are being used for buildings ranging from large office
blocks to people’s homes. These include solar water heaters, biomass fuelled
boilers and direct heat from geothermal, as well as cooling systems powered by
renewable sources.
2.Industrial Processes
Renewable heat for industrial processes can be run using biomass or renewable
electricity. Hydrogen is now a large provider of renewable energy for the
cement, iron, steel and chemical industries.
3.Transport
Sustainable biofuels and renewable electricity are growing in use for
transportation across multiple industry sectors. Automotive is an obvious
example as electrification advances to replace fossil fuels, but aerospace and
construction are other areas that are actively investigating electrification.
Green energy has the capacity to replace fossil fuels in the future, however it
may require varied production from different means to achieve this.
Geothermal, for example, is particularly effective in places where this resource is
easy to tap into, while wind energy or solar power may be better suited to other
geographic locations.
However, by bringing together multiple green energy sources to meet our needs,
and with the advancements that are being made with regards to production and
development of these resources, there is every reason to believe that fossil fuels
could be phased out.
We are still some years away from this happening, but the fact remains that this
is necessary to reduce climate change, improve the environment and move to a
more sustainable future.
Understanding the economic viability of green energy requires a comparison
with fossil fuels. The fact is that as easily-reached fossil resources begin to run
out, the cost of this type of energy will only increase with scarcity.
At the same time as fossil fuels become more expensive, the cost of greener
energy sources is falling. Other factors also work in favour of green energy, such
as the ability to produce relatively inexpensive localised energy solutions, such
as solar farms. The interest, investment and development of green energy
solutions is bringing costs down as we continue to build up our knowledge and
are able to build on past breakthroughs.
As a result, green energy can not only become economically viable but also the
preferred option.
Efficiency in green energy is slightly dependent on location as, if you have the
right conditions, such as frequent and strong sunlight, it is easy to create a fast
and efficient energy solution.
However, to truly compare different energy types it is necessary to analyse the
full life cycle of an energy source. This includes assessing the energy used to
create the green energy resource, working out how much energy can be
translated into electricity and any environmental clearing that was required to
create the energy solution. Of course, environmental damage would prevent a
source truly being ‘green,’ but when all of these factors are combined it creates
what is known as a ‘Levelised Energy Cost’ (LEC).
Currently, wind farms are seen as the most efficient source of green energy as it
requires less refining and processing than the production of, for example, solar
panels. Advances in composites technology and testing has helped improve the
life-span and therefore the LEC of wind turbines. However, the same can be said
of solar panels, which are also seeing a great deal of development.
Green energy solutions also have the benefit of not needing much additional
energy expenditure after they have been built, since they tend to use a readily
renewable source of power, such as the wind. In fact, the total efficiency of
usable energy for coal is just 29% of its original energy value, while wind power
offers a 1164% return on its original energy input.
Renewable energy sources are currently ranked as follows in efficiency (although
this may change as developments continue):
1. Wind Power
2. Geothermal
3. Hydropower
4. Nuclear
5. Solar Power
Green energy provides real benefits for the environment since the power comes
from natural resources such as sunlight, wind and water. Constantly
replenished, these energy sources are the direct opposite of the unsustainable,
carbon emitting fossil fuels that have powered us for over a century.
Creating energy with a zero carbon footprint is a great stride to a more
environmentally friendly future. If we can use it to meet our power, industrial
and transportation needs, we will be able to greatly reduce our impact on the
environment.
Green Energy vs Clean Energy vs Renewable Energy – What is the
Difference?
As we touched upon earlier, there is a difference between green, clean and
renewable energy. This is slightly confused by people often using these terms
interchangeably, but while a resource can be all of these things at once, it may
also be, for example, renewable but not green or clean (such as with some forms
of biomass energy).
Green energy is that which comes from natural sources, such as the sun. Clean
energy are those types which do not release pollutants into the air,
and renewable energy comes from sources that are constantly being
replenished, such as hydropower, wind power or solar energy.
Renewable energy is often seen as being the same, but there is still some debate
around this. For example, can a hydroelectric dam which may divert waterways
and impact the local environment really be called ‘green?’
However, a source such as wind power is renewable, green and clean – since it
comes from an environmentally-friendly, self-replenishing and non-polluting
source.
Green energy looks set to be part of the future of the world, offering a cleaner
alternative to many of today’s energy sources. Readily replenished, these energy
sources are not just good for the environment, but are also leading to job
creation and look set to become economically viable as developments continue.
The fact is that fossil fuels need to become a thing of the past as they do not
provide a sustainable solution to our energy needs. By developing a variety of
green energy solutions we can create a totally sustainable future for our energy
provision, without damaging the world we all live on.
RWE has been working on different green energy projects for decades and has
built up expertise in these areas, finding solutions for our Industrial Members
ranging from electrification for the automotive industry to the latest
developments in renewable energy.