When we say green energy, what do we really mean?
You might be asking yourself if energy has colour for it to be named green. No, energy has no colour and it is not tangible. No one can create energy since it is naturally [energy is a natural resource] present though in different forms.
This green energy is described as renewable and sustainable energy because they are replenished naturally and they can be used over and over again by each generation without being depleted; furthermore, when well tapped they do not harm the environment, that is to say, they do not cause air, land, or water pollution
Human beings just change energy from one form to the other in order to use it.
We should therefore understand that energy is not created but only its form is changed to fit our need; that is why we say energy production and not energy creation.
From time immemorial, human beings have used energy to warm themselves and their shelter, to heat water, to cook food and to light the night.
Later on, as human mind develops leading to more discoveries, inventions and innovations, other uses of energy has been found, for instance energy has been used to run locomotives and automotives engines, to run factories and industries that use various technology and powered machines.
Types of energies
It is important to know that we have two types of energies, that is;
- Renewable energy
- Non-renewable energy.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy includes;
- · Solar energy
- · Wind energy
- · Hydro energy
- · Biomass energy
- · Biofuels energy
- · Geothermal energy
- · Tidal energy
- · Wave energy, etc.
Non-renewable energy
Non-renewable energy consists of fossil fuels mainly;
- · Coal
- · Oil
- · Natural gas etc.
It is from burning of fossil fuels that, particularly coal and oil, we have put ourselves in the climate mess we are in now. When mined and produced [burned], they produce pollutants into the atmosphere thus causing air pollution.
Also, when their wastes are irresponsibly disposed either into the land or to the water bodies they cause soil/land and water pollution respectively.
Alternatively, green energy, which is renewable type of energy, is the kind of energy that the world should properly exploit to serve all their energy needs since it is naturally readily available and cannot be exhausted at all.
What is more, green energy is even cost-effective in its production process and financially affordable to the users, especially to the local communities for their domestic uses.
It is found that some renewable energy is not green and clean. For example, biomasses, biofuels, geothermal, are renewable but for them to be green and clean, they will depend on the method of their production for them to be categorized as green and clean.
If well, in an environmentally friendly method, produced, they will be green and clean energy.
This means that for renewable energy to be green and clean, it musthave zero emission into the atmosphere or if not so, it emits very minimal or insignificant greenhouse gases to cause any increase of overall earth’s temperature.
The key point here is whether the environment is harmed or not, if harmed, the energy type does not qualify to be green and clean.
See, you are in your house relaxing as you finish taking your white coffee which you prepared using a solar powered cooker, and the milk you used was in your solar powered refrigerator. Afterward, you switch on your television in order to watch news and the power is also from the sun. Lighting and warming your house and the security lights is not different, solar energy is what you are powering all your items and appliances.
At the end of the month you pay no electricity bill to any energy and power services providers companies. Here, you just need solar installation money and you are done with it, no more bills and you help conserve the environment by using green and clean energy.
Diving dipper, the sun gives earth a lot of light that is unparalleled to any source of energy.
Given that the sun is the source of solar energy, we are more than sure that we shall always be having sunlight in our planet earth, day in day out.
However, tapping this energy in an environmentally friendly manner is where the rubber meets the road. In fact, the amount of heat that reaches the earth from the sun is173,000 terawatts (trillions of watts).Meaning that we can power our whole world using solar energy only. However, we under-utilize it while over-utilizing fossil fuels.
Over all, we can confidently say that the air, land and water pollutions that we suffer from are chiefly due to the burning of and disposal of fossil fuels wastes.
In comparison, production and usage of green energy is far much better than the fossil fuels, environmentally and financially.
In addition, we need to change our perception and shift from fossil fuels to green and renewable energy; that is, energy transition.
Green energy is an a must if we are to save Mother Nature particularly for our needs and for the sake of our coming generations. Green energy is the real deal, let us go green!