How To Become A Prosperous Green Power Entrepreneur Even If You're Not Business-Savvy

What Is Green Power?

Green power is electricity produced by renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal and some kinds of biomass and low-impact hydroelectricity. Customers in markets that are deregulated can add a small premium on utility bills to help promote cleaner energy sources.

Renewable energy sources are generally less damaging to the environment than drilling for coal or oil. They also can aid in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is a popular green energy source. Solar is considered a renewable resource because it will never run out. It is an efficient, clean and safe energy source that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as air pollution from conventional fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal and oil. This energy is a great alternative for nuclear power which requires mining extraction, storage and transport of radioactive waste.

Photovoltaic panels and concentrated solar thermal energy (CSP) are all methods to harness the sun's power. Solar power can be distributed directly to homes and businesses or to grids which distribute power to others. Some customers even have the option of selling their surplus energy back to the utility company which helps keep electricity costs low and even offset rising utility prices.

Solar energy produces no pollution or emissions to the air, unlike fossil fuels which emit harmful gases and carbon dioxide when they are burned. Solar energy can also be used to power other types of devices, including spacecrafts, boats, satellites and other vessels in areas where accessing the electricity grid is not feasible or even possible.

On a smaller scale, solar can be used to power buildings. Many homeowners install PV cells on their roofs in order to produce electricity. Passive solar homes lets these homes take advantage of the sun's warmth during the day and store it at night. Solar-powered homes also have the benefit of needing minimal maintenance.

Hydropower is a type of solar energy that uses the natural flow of rivers, streams and dams. Hydropower, like wind and biomass is a renewable resource because it can be replenished. Take a look at the EPA's list of third party certified hydropower options if want to add it to your home or office.

Geothermal Energy

A geothermal energy plant uses heat from the Earth's interior to generate electricity. The process makes use of hot water and steam that naturally occurs just a few kilometers below the Earth's surface. It is an environmentally sustainable and renewable energy source that can generate electricity 24 hours a days throughout the year. Geothermal power could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is also among the most eco-friendly methods of energy generation.

The most popular type of geothermal power plant is a flash steam power station. It uses water that is heated to 182degrees C or 360deg F to generate electricity and power turbines. Steam can be used to heat industrial processes or buildings. Iceland, for example, utilizes geothermal energy to melt snow and heat its streets, sidewalks and parking spaces during the cold Arctic winter.

A hot dry rock power plant is a different geothermal source of energy. It taps underground reservoirs comprised of hot, dry rock that has been heated by either natural processes. HDR plants require less infrastructure than geothermal power plants, making them less expensive and easier to construct and operate. 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 plants can be used to create electricity using a steam turbine generator, or it could be coupled with a gas-fired turbine to improve efficiency. The mixture can be converted into natural gas and burned in a boiler to produce electricity.

Geothermal energy is not only safe and reliable, but also has the smallest carbon footprint among all renewable energy sources. Binary-cycle plants that employ an engine to convert steam into electricity create little or no nitrous dioxide methane, sulphur, or methane oxide.

However, despite its advantages geothermal energy has its difficulties. The drilling required to establish geothermal power stations can cause earthquakes and could cause groundwater pollution. Furthermore, the dumping of high-pressure streams into geothermal reservoirs could cause subsidence, which is a gradual sinking of the soil that could damage pipelines roads, buildings, and pipelines.

Biogas

Biogas is a natural gaseous energy source that can be used to produce green power. It can be produced from manure, agricultural waste plant material and municipal waste, sewage food waste, and other organic waste materials. Biogas can be used to create electricity, heat, and also heat and power, or it can be transformed into fuels for transport using the Fischer-Tropsch process. Biogas is also a great source of hydrogen that can be produced renewable for use in fuel cells, which are likely to play a major role in the future of energy systems.

The most commonly used method for valorising biogas is to generate electricity by using a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The heat generated by the CHP plant is used to fuel the fermentation of organic wastes. In turn, the electricity is then fed back to the grid. Biogas can also be compressed into natural gases and blended into existing natural gas distribution systems. Biogas can also be used as a replacement for imported natural gas in commercial, ground transportation and residential buildings.

In addition to providing renewable energy, biogas can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from conventional cooking. The CCAC is working to provide tools to measure reporting and verifying (MRV) clean cooking practices in households in low to middle-income countries. This will aid the 67 countries who have included clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions.

Biogas can be used as a substitute for traditional natural gas for cooling and heating and to substitute fossil fuels used in electricity generation carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced. Biogas is also a sustainable alternative to oil, coal and other fossil fuels in the production of liquid fuels for transport.

Capturing and recovering methane from animal manure and food waste helps to prevent the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and also preventing nitrogen runoff that could otherwise end up contaminating water resources. The Plessis-Gassot non-hazardous waste landfill in Claye-Souilly, France, for instance collects biogas and converts it into a renewable source of energy for the households that are connected to the system. Additionally, small-scale biogas plants can be set up in cities to allow for the collection and use of organic waste from local sources, avoiding greenhouse gases caused by transport and treatment of these materials.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydropower is a renewable source of energy that uses the kinetic energies of water flowing. It is the most powerful and cheapest renewable source of power worldwide. It does not produce direct greenhouse gases, but it has significant environmental impacts. It is a highly flexible form of green power that is easily adjusted to meet changing 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 of falling water. The kinetic energy of the water is converted into electricity by the use of turbines that spin at a speed proportional to the velocity of the water.  mobility power  is then transmitted to the grid for use.

Hydroelectric power plants require an enormous investment in reservoirs and pipes. However, operating costs are low. These plants can also be utilized as backups to other intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

There are two main types of hydroelectric power plants which are run-of-river and storage. Storage plants have huge impoundments, which can store more than one season's worth of water. Run-of-river plants use water from rivers and streams that are free-flowing. Hydropower plants are usually located close to or in areas of high population density and where the demand for electricity is high.

The environmental impact of hydropower is dependent on the size and location of a dam and the amount of water displaced and the habitat and wildlife affected by inundation and decomposition. These effects can be reduced and mitigated by the use of Low Impact Hydroelectricity (LIHI) standards for construction and operation of hydropower projects. The standards provide measures to protect the flow of rivers, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, endangered and threatened species, recreation, and cultural resources.

Certain hydropower plants are the world's biggest "batteries" because they generate renewable energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir uphill to a larger reservoir. When electricity is needed then the water from the lower reservoir could be used to power generators. The water from the reservoir above can then be pumped downwards via a turbine in order to create more electricity.