Going Green for Geothermal Energy - By: Allan Michael Taylor

What It Is and Why We Need It

Green energy, a term that is fast becoming a byword in every household, refers to sources of energy that have little or no impact on the environment. That is to say, they neither contribute to the physical degradation or contamination of the environment. Hence, another name for these sources of energy is clean energy. Green power is another related phrase, but it is limited to energy used to generate electricity. The opposite of green energy is brown energy, a collective term for non-renewable energy sources or those that release pollutants to the environment as by-products.

Green energy sources are a sub-category of what is called renewable energy. Together with energy efficiency, renewable energy is a pillar of of the concept of sustainable energy. This more general idea encompasses energy the generation and distribution of which use enough resources to meet present requirements while causing minimal environmental degradation and maintaining the availability of these resources or the environment to future generations. Sustainable use can thus be viewed as indefinite. However, some people prefer a time frame of 100 years or one human generation as a criterion for sustainability.

Examples of renewable energy sources are plant biomass, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, small-scale hydro and tidal energy. Among these, solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy are considered the most environmentally friendly because they maximize benefits and at the same time reduce carbon emissions. For example, installations of green energy have less destructive impact as large-scale hydroelectric power on ecosystems, heritage sites or minority communities.

How they help curb carbon dioxide pollution is easily understood if one considers how much fossil fuel solar, wind or geothermal energy can displace in power generation. Plant biomass suffers from the disadvantages that it contributes to carbon emission and can drive food prices up by competing with food crops.

Our present quest for green energy is fueled by two important realizations which emerged in the last three decades.

After a period of consumerism which ended in the late 70's, society realized the need to protect the environment. In recent years, this took the form of concern about climate change. Burning of fossil fuels for energy is considered to be a major influence on climate change. The carbon dioxide which it releases is now believed to add to the greenhouse effect. As the gas accumulates in the atmosphere, it helps trap the sun's heat, leading to the phenomenon called global warming.

The other driving force behind green energy is awareness of the dwindling of petroleum and natural gas sources. Scientists estimate that these sources will be depleted in three of four decades. In any case, discovery of reserves will become increasingly difficult as present reserves are used up. At the same time, extraction of such fuels from future reserves will become more and more costly. The overall result is higher and less predictable fossil fuel prices. Unless more continuous and stable energy sources are developed, fossil fuel prices will exert increasingly deleterious effect on economic activities and economic planning itself.

Seen in the context of these two global concerns, green energy is easily seen as the right direction in energy.

Solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy are most attractive because they are more widely available than fossil fuels. Solar energy and wind energy are of particular interest because they can be used in small scales and still contribute to energy efficiency. At present, green energy technology are expensive but this is not expected to last long thanks to continuing advances in technology. Moreover, government support for research, development and deployment of technologies is helping to usher green energy into mainstream application.

About the Author

Dave May is an expert at Green Energy GT.com, when it comes tosolar power systems and wind energy.To find out everything about solar water pumps, solar lighting, green energy grants etc., visit his website at GreenEnergyGT.com.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Allan-Michael-Taylor/45501

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