Green Electricity
Most of the electricity that is generated comes from power stations that burn coal and gas. This releases millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for climate change, every year. The rest comes from nuclear power stations which also has other severely worrying environmental impacts.
So what about an alternative? There is an alternative available “Green Electricity”
Green electricity’ means electricity that has been produced from sources which do not cause these impacts upon the environment. Every type of electricity no matter how it is produced is going to have some impact on the environment, but some sources are less harmful and greener than others. The cleanest energy sources are those which utilise the natural energy currents of the Earth. These are usually known as renewable energy sources, because they will never run out. Information on some of these alternatives are listed below.
Wind Power
Wind power is the world’s fastest growing energy source. The wind is harnessed by turbines situated offshore and inland an then supplied to the grid. Wind power is used all around the world and could in the future become one of the main sources of our electricity.
Solar power
A solar photovoltaic (PV) module works by converting sunlight directly into electricity (even on cloudy days) using semiconductor technology. They can be made into roof tiles and are almost indistinguishable from normal tiles .By making use of the power from the sun much of our heating, air conditioning and power could be supplied this way.
Hydro Turbines
Water power has been in use for hundreds of years waterwheels were commonly used to produce power for industrial usage in the past. Recently technological advances have seen wave power being harnessed as a source of providing electricity.
Biomass
This is the use of agricultural waste used as a fuel to run small power stations.
Many electricity companies are now offering a green tariff (which usually costs more), but availability and quality of these products vary wildly. There are mainly two kind of supplies on offer a green power supply, where companies make sure that for every unit of electricity you use the same amount of green electricity is generated.
The other is a green fund where the extra money you pay on your bill is used by the company to invest in new renewable energy projects.