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What is Green
Energy?
What do you picture in your
mind when someone mentions “green energy?” Miles and miles of windmills on
rolling green hills or in a frozen wasteland in the Arctic or the solar panels
occasionally seen on the roofs of houses? You may think of green energy as
undeveloped and expensive to obtain and not a viable option to consider. The
truth is green is not a new concept and does not have to cost a lot of money.
A renewable energy source that is safe for the environment and does not emit
harmful emissions is considered green energy. These energy sources include more
than just wind or solar energy; they also include hydroelectric and geothermal
power. Let us look at these sources of energy and why they are considered green
energy.
Solar energy is still being developed; it is probably the most talked about form
of green power. In the future, many believe we will be producing solar power
with plastic wrap; the fact is they have developed a form of plastic wrap that
will collect solar rays for producing power. Solar power is still not ready for
widespread use and is considered too expensive and difficult to take care by the
average person. In years to come solar power will prove to be a good option for
alternative energy.
Wind power is one of the oldest forms of green energy. When we think of energy
today, we normally think of electric power. The fact is any type of force that
creates energy to move something is considered an energy force; it does not
necessarily have to produce electric. Windmills were used years ago to pump
water from wells and other uses. These early windmills are quite crude when
prepared to the modern wind turbines in use today. If you live in an area with a
lot of wind a wind turbine is an effective way to produce electricity. Texas has
a huge wind farm; it is the biggest in the country and effectively produces
green power for people in Texas.
Geothermal energy comes from below the ground where the temperature remains
constant, for instance if we tap into an area underground where the temperature
stays at sixty five degrees and pipe this air into homes and buildings we would
have climate control without the use of traditional energy sources. Many places
have volcanoes underneath the ground that build up steam. This type of
geothermal energy could be used globally.
Hydroelectric power may or may not be green depending on the circumstances. A
small hydro plant is considered green, as it will not disturb the balance of
nature, as they do not need to make changes to the water or the landscape to
operate. A large plant on the other hand needs to create a large body of water
by flooding an area in order to run the hydro plant. These are not considered
green as they change the face of the land for years to come.
Many forms of green energy exist, but none of these was ever used for producing
power. Green energy will help you be less dependent on conventional power
companies. You are able to connect your green source of power to the grid and
only use power from the electric company when you need it. This will help you do
your part in keeping the earth a cleaner, greener place for our descendants.
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