Green electricity can be provided in many different ways. First, let’s take a look at one of the most widely used sources of green electricity in the world.
Hydroelectricity has the advantage over many types of green electricity for being the longest-lived source of green electricity. There are hydroelectric plants around the planet that have been in operation in excess of 100 years. Hydroelectric power is currently experiencing a resurgence of growth in areas of the world like Asia, with China currently taking the lead in development.
Hydroelectricity features the conversion of water energy into electricity. In the simplest of terms, hydroelectricity functions by utilizing the gravitational flow of water to meet and turn turbine blades. The turbine drives a rotor in a generator that produces electricity. Many hydroelectric plants are associated in the public mind with large hydroelectric dams, although plants using straight river flow also generate hydroelectricity. Hydroelectric power is generally regarded as being one of the cleanest methods to produce green electricity.
Geothermal power is another source used to generate green electricity. Geothermal power utilizes the natural heat from below the earth’s surface to create and capture steam. There are a number of ways of achieving this. One is to simply pipe out the natural steam below the earth’s surface and use it to run steam generators that generate electrical power in much the same way as hydroelectric generators. Another method is to run water through pipes under hot magma rock. The magma superheats the water in the pipes into steam and the steam is used to drive electric generators.
The most widely preferred source of green electricity is solar power. In using solar power, photons are collected by the sun. The photons create DC electricity. In most solar energy systems, the DC electricity is converted into AC electricity using a device called an inverter. The electricity generated through solar energy can be stored in batteries. In residential applications there are normally two types of solar power options available. One is called bill reduction, and is used to supply electricity back to your grid. Your electric company then discounts your bill depending on how much electricity you generate with your solar panels. The other residential option is blackout protection, wherein your green electricity is stored in batteries and used in case of a power failure.
Another type of green electricity is generated by wind power. Wind is air in motion created by the sun’s uneven heating of the earth. Wind turbines use blades to collect the energy of the wind. Similar to hydroelectric power and geothermal energy, the wind is used to turn a rotor that drives an electric generator.
Green electricity is constantly evolving and there are other ways of creating electrical power from green sources. One of these is wave technology, in which the ocean is used as a source of electrical power generation.
Certainly, green electricity is the trend of the future, as more and more humans are moving away from the environmentally degrading use of fossil fuels to clean energy driven electricity.
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