Green Electricity – Where Does It Come From

Green electricity can be delivered in many different ways. First, let’s review 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 green-source 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 is the conversion of water energy into electricity. At its most basic, hydroelectricity works by using 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 general mind of the public with large hydroelectric dams, although plants using straight river flow also produce hydroelectricity. Hydroelectric power is commonly believed to be one of the cleanest ways for the production of green electricity.

Geothermal power is another source used to produce green electricity. Geothermal power utilizes the natural heat from below the earth’s surface to create and capture steam. There are several 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 produce electricity in much the same way as hydroelectric generators. Another way is to run water through pipes under hot magma rock. The magma superheats the piped water into steam and the steam is used to drive electric generators.

The most widely subscribed source of green electricity is solar power. In using solar power, photons are collected by the sun. The photons generate DC electricity. In most solar energy systems, the DC electricity is converted into AC electricity through the use of a device called an inverter. The electricity generated through solar energy can be stored in batteries. In residential applications there are generally 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 according to how much electricity you generate with your solar panels. The other residential option is blackout protection, where 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 that is caused 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 generating electrical power from green sources. One of these is wave technology, in which the ocean is used as a source to generate electricity.

Clearly, green electricity is the trend of the future, as more and more people are turning away from the environmentally degrading use of fossil fuels to clean energy driven electricity.

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