Green Energy

Green Energy

Introduction

Green energy, also called renewable energy, is energy that is derived from earth's natural resources. These natural resources typically include sunlight, tides, wind, rain, waves and geothermal heat. These are renewable sources of energy, meaning that they can be naturally replenished (Chiras, 2007; Li, 2009). Renewable energy contributes to nearly 16% of the overall energy consumption of the world, with traditional biomass making up 10% and hydroelectricity making up almost 3.5%. In terms of generation of electricity, renewable energy sources contribute to nearly 19% of global electricity generation, of which hydroelectricity making a major contribution of 10% (Li, 2009). While a lot of the projects related to renewable energy are large-scale, these technologies are so efficient that they are ideally suited to rural areas and remote regions where energy is an essential prerequisite to the development of humans (Chiras, 2007). For example, small solar PV (Photo Voltaic) energy conservation systems can be used to generate electricity to more than a million households whereas micro-hydro that has been configured into mini-grids can be used to power even more (Li, 2009).

Statistical data suggests that an excess of 44 million households make efficient use of biogas that can be made from household-scale digesters for the purpose of cooking food and lighting. Moreover, around 166 million households depend on newer methods to generate electricity (Li, 2009). According to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, renewable energy possesses the potential to lift even the poorest and most backward nations of the world out of poverty and on the road to prosperity and advancement United Nations Environment Programme (1991) (Li, 2009). Carbon neutral and negative fuels can store and transport renewable energy through existing natural gas pipelines and be used with existing transportation infrastructure. This way, the pace at which the displacement of fossil fuels is taking place and greenhouses around the world are emitting harmful gases into the atmosphere is significantly reduced (Toke, 1990).

Concerns of rapid climatic change and increasing prices of oil and natural gas have prompted governments all around the world to push for renewable energy legislation, in a bid to commercialize it (Toke, 1990). New government expenditure, policies and regulation have helped the industry in its attempts to weather the financial crisis that has the world in its clutches. The International Energy Agency has forecasted that in the next 50 years solar power generators will contribute to most of the energy needs of the world (Li, 2009). This will significantly reduce the level of pollutants that enter the earth's atmosphere on a daily basis while also dramatically reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases that harm the environment.

Discussion

Renewable energy sources consist of everlasting natural phenomena that are abundantly found in the world, such as sunlight, plant growth, wind, geothermal heat and tides. The International Energy Agency has repeatedly iterated that renewable energy is the answer to many of the problems faced by the world today such as energy scarcity, pollution, and global warming. Renewable energy is generated from sources that are abundantly found in the earth's atmosphere and which ...