Clean, Green Energy
Green energy is a term typically used to refer to energy derived from renewable energy sources, where generating the energy does not produce pollutants. Green energy is environmentally friendly and does not create greenhouse gas emissions. This type of energy includes anaerobic digestion, geothermal power, wind power, solar power, tidal power, and wave power.
Anaerobic Digestion
Waste management and water treatment are big users of energy. With anaerobic digestion, microorganisms like bacteria and fungi break down biodegradable material without oxygen. Anaerobic digestion is primarily used to treat wastewater sludge and other organic waste, and the process reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.
Anaerobic digestion produces its own green energy: a biogas consisting of a methane and carbon dioxide mixture that can replace some non-renewable fuels, and composted fertilizer in the form of the solids that remain after anaerobic digestion is completed.
Geothermal Power
Geothermal power is, quite simply, the energy generated from the earth's core. Geothermal power is a green energy commonly seen in geysers and hot springs. Heat pumps that provide heating and cooling services to residential and commercial energy customers are also powered by geothermal power. At the present time, geothermal power supplies less than 1% of the world's energy; however, as consumers continue to demand development of green energy sources, technology is certain to catch up to the demand, and we will see more uses for geothermal power in the future.
Wind Power
Wind power converts the force of wind energy into electricity. The wind rotates blades of a windmill or turbine, and the green energy generated by the wind is converted into electrical current that can be used by residential and commercial electricity customers. While wind power is fairly new to the United States, other countries have taken advantage of wind power for years. Denmark, for example, meets 20% of its energy needs with wind power.
Solar Power
Solar power converts the heat and light from the sun into electricity. Solar energy cells, usually mounted on rooftops, collect energy from the sun and store it in batteries, where it is converted to alternating current (AC) power that can be used in homes and businesses. An optimal green energy arrangement combines solar power and wind power; when the sun is not shining, the wind is often blowing, and this arrangement solves the green energy problems created on cloudy days (for solar energy) or calm days (for wind energy).
Tidal Power
Tidal power is a green energy that uses movement of water created by tidal currents to generate electricity. Tidal power is virtually unused in the United States; however, tide mills in Europe have been used for over a thousand years, most often in granaries.
