What Is Green Power And How Can It Help You In Your Life?
It’s no secret that we’re addicted to the power of the grid. The majority of us are hooked on the convenience of the power supply. We can be sure that the next time you use your electric power, you’re probably going to want to know where it comes from.
In this article we will discuss what is green power and how can it help you in your life? If you live in the U.S., you’ll probably be familiar with the term “green power.” You may have even heard of the term “renewable energy.” But what does it really mean?
What Is Green Power?
For starters, green power means that electricity is produced by renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources. Renewable energy sources don’t pollute the air or the environment. They also don’t deplete our natural resources.
This green power must go well beyond what is otherwise required by law or requirement. As green power is an effective strategy for reducing your carbon footprint and it’s an easy way to make sure that your products and services are helping to reduce the effects of climate change
There are two kinds of green power:
Voluntary Green Power:
Voluntary green power is produced from renewable sources that meet the criteria of the Clean Renewable Energy Standard, also known as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
Mandatory Green Power:
Mandatory green power is produced from renewable sources that don’t meet the criteria of the RPS. Both forms of green power reduce emissions and protect the environment.
In May 2022, the bill passed in the US Senate with all the signatures from elected officials, and thus became law. The Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 amended the existing RPS to mandate 100% renewable electricity by the year 2032.
Renewable Energy
“Renewable energy” refers to those resources which can renew themselves naturally. These types of resources include sunlight, the earth’s heat, and wind. Therefore, there are three fundamental kinds of renewable energy.
Solar Power: This type of power is produced by using sunlight which in turn produces electricity. Another form of solar thermal power captures the sun’s heat for heating water, space heating, and heating building interiors.
Wind Power: Wind power involves the conversion of kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy.
Bio-fuels: These are produced by the growth of crops using photosynthesis. Bio-fuels include eligible biomass, ethanol, and biodiesel. Other uses of renewable energy include the production of hydrogen and methane gas and geothermal energy.
All of these are renewable resources. Although the use of renewable energy reduces pollution and conserves natural resources, there are some concerns with some of these technologies. Hydrogen gas can be made from coal and oil and is released into the atmosphere. Methane is an environmentally damaging gas that is released by farm animals and is responsible for 21% of total global methane emissions. Biomass is limited to the biomass carbon budget.
In the United States, more than 38 states and plus DC have their own renewable portfolio standards according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Conventional Power
Conventional power uses coal, natural gas, and oil to generate electricity and has been the main source of energy since the Industrial Revolution began over 300 years ago.
Fossil fuels are dangerous to the environment, from mining and drilling to extraction and combustion. They release greenhouse gases and cause air pollution during combustion.
It’s safe to say that nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases during power generation, but it does require mining, extraction, and long-term radioactive waste storage.
Below is the image that shows the U.S. voluntary market’s explanation of green power. It ranks green power based on its comparative environmental benefits.
The following graphic depicts how the U.S. voluntary market defines green power based on its relative environmental benefits according to the United States Environment Protection Agency.
Where To Purchase Green Power?
The Guide to Purchasing Green Power is an excellent starting point for organizations interested in buying green power.
First published in 2004, the latest 2018 version of the guide provides insight into the green power process, different green power supply options, and the benefits of green power purchasing, as well as information on the necessary steps to procure and capture the greatest benefit from your purchase.
The book is the result of a collaborative effort between the United States Environment Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, (EPA), the World Resources Institute, the Center for Resource Solutions, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
RECs are a way of encouraging people to use renewable energy sources. The RECs are based on the amount of renewable energy produced not how much energy was actually used to generate the electricity. A REC is given when one megawatt-hour (MWh) of power is created and conveyed to the power grid from renewable energy resources.
RECs are tradable certificates that are issued by the Renewable Energy Certificates Board (RECB). They can be bought and sold on the secondary market. RECs are a way of reducing your carbon footprint. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you should purchase RECs.
There are two main types of RECs: Tradable and Non-Tradable RECs.
A REC is the only way to guarantee that an amount of energy from a particular renewable energy source will be generated. Each state determines which RECs are tradable.
The Price Of Green Power
In the United States, the price of green power is set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC sets the price of green power based on the cost of producing it. It also considers the costs of building new power plants and the cost of transporting green power from one place to another.
The price of green power fluctuates according to the amount of energy generated from renewable sources, how much electricity is sold on the open market, and how much electricity is purchased by customers.
There are two types of green power pricing. One type of green power pricing is to charge customers for their electricity usage. The other type of green power pricing is to reward customers for their electricity usage.
Customers can be charged for their kilowatt-hour usage in one of two ways. They can either be charged a fixed rate per kilowatt-hour or a variable rate per kilowatt-hour.
Variable rate green power pricing is calculated by multiplying the number of kilowatt-hours that the customer uses by the set price. For example, a customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month will be charged $10 per kilowatt-hour.
The cost of green power has come down over the last several years. This is because new production technologies are being developed to utilize these types of renewable sources.
It’s very likely that there will be a lot of new technology in the future as well. We don’t know how far off it is. The demand for green power has increased tremendously. That’s because it is good for the environment, and it costs less than conventional forms of power.
If your city is participating in the new Federal Energy Policy Act, 2005, it’s time to get on the list for energy rebates. It’s also time to look for green pricing.
To get the lowest cost for green power products that meet your organization’s goals, seek multiple estimates from suppliers as recommended by EPA.
How To Attain Green Power?
While green power can save your organization money over time and help it to reach its sustainability goals, choosing the right supplier requires a bit of thought.
There are several different ways to attain green power, including purchasing it directly from a utility, a competitive electricity supplier, a renewable energy certificate (REC) marketer, a project developer, or a nonprofit organization.
These suppliers offer a wide range of products and services to fit the needs of any organization
Build and self-generate Green Power
When it comes to building and self-generating renewable energy projects, there are many ways to go about it. One thing is sure: they all have risks. The best way to mitigate these risks is to develop a well-thought-out plan.
Here are a few basic ideas that you can use to design your own renewable energy project.
First, decide on a particular renewable energy source. When looking at options for your renewable energy project, you need to decide on the one you want to work with. Some examples of renewable energy sources are wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources.
Make sure you’ve got a plan in mind before you do anything else. You should also make sure you have a backup plan just in case your chosen renewable energy source turns out not to be right for you.
If you are working with a renewable energy company, your renewable energy developer may already have the necessary plans in place. However, if you are going to work on your own, you’ll need to create these plans yourself.
How To File Credible Claims?
The EPA has issued guidance on environmental attributes and claims. All organizations can follow these guidelines if they want to make a claim about their own use of renewable electricity. They can mention that their organization uses 100% renewable electricity.
They can also mention that the organization purchases renewable energy credits from projects that have made an environmental attribute claim. For example, an organization can show that the organization used wind power.
They can show that this was renewable electricity and how much renewable electricity they used. This will allow the organization to prove that they are meeting its goals.
In recent years, many countries have put renewable energy mandates in place. The United States is one of them, where 30 percent of electricity must come from renewable energy sources by 2030, and 50 percent by 2040.
The state of California is currently the only state to require that utilities purchase RECs to meet the requirements, which encourages organizations to use renewable electricity. However, some states are starting to make this mandatory.
How To Find Resources Of Green Power?
We all know that going green is not only good for the environment but also good for our health and wallet. We should all be proud of the progress we have made toward becoming greener.
However, going green is not easy. There are a ton of hindrances that substitute the way. Some of them are technical, while some are economic. This site provides a variety of tools, resources, information, and education that can help you to go green and reap all the benefits.
First, it is important that the community is educated about green energy technology and its use. It is very important for a community to have a good understanding of the benefits of green energy, how to purchase green energy, and what environmental impact is caused by traditional energy sources.
There are a number of factors that make it easy to transition to renewable energy.
The Green Power Program is a federal program that was initiated to provide incentives to individuals and businesses to purchase renewable energy. These incentives are provided through the purchase of “green tags” or certificates. The program is designed to encourage and support consumer demand for renewable energy. As of 2010, about half of the states had some form of green tag program. In order for a consumer to purchase the green tags or certificates, he/she needs to select one of four types of renewable power:
Renewable Portfolio Standard: RPS is a mandatory regulation to increase the production of energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and other alternatives to fossil and nuclear power generation. It is also called a renewable electricity standard.
This is a requirement set forth by EPA and is meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation. According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, by 2011 the percentage of renewable electricity used to generate electricity had to be increased from the current level of 5% to 22%.
Renewable Energy Project Development Resource Directory: There are over 500 resources in this directory reviewed and selected by EPA that can help you to understand the renewable energy development process from start to finish.
These resources include best practices from all aspects of the renewable energy development process and can help you to develop your renewable energy projects. In addition, people can filter and sort the resources by where they are in the development process.
Emerging Market Issues Regarding Green Power
In conclusion, if you are looking to get a greener environment around you, you can choose to use a power source that is made up of renewable sources of energy. By using these, you can save some electricity. You can also look for a power generator that has a solar panel. By using this, you will get a better and greener environment which will eventually have an impact on your life.