Green Power and Renewable Energy Sources Like Solar Energy and Wind Energy

Green power is energy that comes from renewable energy sources such as wind, water, or the sun. Unlike fossil fuels and energy produced with materials that have limited supply green power is produced with resources that are not depleted by using them. Since the sun isn't going to burn out anytime soon and the wind isn't going to stop blowing, especially if you live in Chicago (windy city), I know bad joke but the truth is using these renewable energy sources greatly reduces the impact on the planet.

Green power can be produced with solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal power plants, and hydroelectric power plants. Using these green power technologies doesn't come free though. Although the resources are free the green technology required to harvest these renewable energy resources and convert them to usable energy is quite expensive. Many years of research and development have gone in to the planning and building of facilities that can take advantage of the renewable energy resources we are provided with. The costs involved in this green power technology must be recouped so that we can continue developing the technology and eventually bring the cost down. This will make green power and renewable energy affordable and capable of meeting the total demand. This will make green power and renewable energy a more mainstream option. Wind is the least expensive renewable energy resource to convert and has the least impact on the earth. If you are looking for green power, wind is at the top of the list right now due to the lower cost to convert it into usable power.

Most of the renewable energy today is produced as part of large scale projects, however renewable energy technology can be used in smaller projects as well. Remote areas can benefit greatly by providing green power from solar or wind rather than trying to get traditional distribution systems ran from more developed areas. Small remote villages in some countries already take advantage of these types of green power or renewable energy grids. Often it is impossible to get a remote area connected to the main power grid or it would be even more costly than having their own power source. In these instances some countries have small solar energy or wind energy facilities designed to deliver power to those villages.

Many people today can take advantage of renewable energy resources through products and services that are becoming more mainstream. Renewable energy resources like bio-fuels are available in most areas and many utility companies have began programs offering their customers the ability to purchase green energy. Other products like solar panels, rain water harvesting systems, and geothermal heat systems are great ways for the average person to take advantage of green power and renewable energy resources.

More and more green power technology is being developed as we strive for the perfect solution to eliminate the need to use the earths irreplaceable resources and use renewable energy sources instead. Taking advantage of whatever green energy options you may have is the best way to support the effort and help bring green power from the research and development stages to the mass production stage.

Many utility companies have started to offer customers the option of buying green power created from renewable energy resources. While the cost is a bit more, in some cases only a few cents per kilowatt hour, the benefits outweigh the additional cost in the long run. By purchasing green power you are helping to provide additional resources that will be used to further the technology and reduce the use of fossil fuels which are depleting our earth's resources as well as damaging the environment. Research options available in your area and consider the advantages and disadvantages when deciding if green power is right for you and if your utility offers green power you may be surprised how little the cost difference is and how much of difference you can make.

As always you can find more information on green power as well as energy saving products and tips that use renewable energy resources in my other articles here or in the green power links section at the bottom of this page.

Green power, is also referred to as renewable energy or sustainable energy. Approximately 18% of the global consumption in 2006 was produced from renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is growing rapidly in popularity, for example wind generated power is growing at about 30% per year. In 2008 the capacity of wind systems installed worldwide was 121,000 megawatts. Solar power using photovoltaic systems was able to reach a capacity of 6,900 megawatts worldwide in 2008. Geothermal power at the Geysers in California, which is the world's largest geothermal installation has a capacity of 750 megawatts.

Solar energy is being used in over 200,000 U.S. Homes today and is being used in some form to contribute in over 140 countries around the world. While solar energy technology has been around for quite some time on a small scale such as solar powered calculators and watches we are seeing this renewable energy gain popularity as a way to use green energy to reduce our effects on the earth and the environment. Solar energy is most commonly produced by using photovoltaic systems to produce electricity from sunlight. Photovoltaic systems generate DC current which is then converted to AC current by an inverter. There are state and federal incentives available for people who use solar products through the solar rebate program.

Solar energy can be used in heating water as well as generating electricity. Solar water heating systems can provide hot water by heating water stored in large collection tanks or by passing other liquid that has been heated by the sun through a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to the water from the other hot liquid. Ventilation air preheating is another way that solar energy can ease the load on heating systems, particularly in large commercial spaces. By mounting a large black panel with many tiny holes on the building to absorb the sun's heat and allowing that heated air to mix with the inside air and be circulated through the ventilation system we can greatly reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the air inside the building.

Solar energy is a great way to take advantage of a resource that can not be depleted no matter how much we use it. The power of solar energy has yet to be completely revealed. As new technology develops and new ways to harvest solar energy from the sun are found we will see dramatic changes in the amount of fossil fuels and other earth resources needed. We will also see a great reduction in pollution and other harmful results caused by our use of fossil fuels which will result in healthier and cleaner living as well as eventually more cost effective ways to maintain our lifestyles.

Among green power or renewable energy, wind energy is among the most popular and production is increasing quite rapidly. Wind energy is produced with wind turbines. These turbines typically produce anywhere from 600kw (kilowatts) to 5MW (megawatts) the most common being turbines rated between 1.5 and 3 MW. Placement of the turbines is the key in production of energy, as wind increases so does the output of the turbines. Placing turbines off shore or in high altitudes we are able to take advantage of the typically stronger winds and produce more power from each turbine.

The long term production potential of wind energy worldwide is said to be 5 times the current global production and 40 times more than the current global demand. Obviously wind farms to produce this amount of energy would require quite a bit of land. Off shor locations could be a better solution as the wind speeds are about 90% greater than on land.

The production of wind energy does not produce any emissions or green house gases making it a clean choice for renewable energy. Since wind energy production capacity is growing at about 30% per year we can see great reduction in use of other non renewable natural resources very soon. Some utility markets already have programs in place where homeowners and business owners can purchase green power that has been produced from wind farms at a slightly higher cost than traditional electricity but with the benefit of helping the environment and helping the technology develop and become more mainstream.

The largest wind farm as of September 2009 is the Roscoe Wind Farm with a rated capacity of 781 MW. The overall U.S. Installed wind energy capacity is over 25,000 MW. Worldwide wind farm capacity is over 120,000 MW making wind energy the most productive of the renewable energy sources to date.

Consumers wishing to take advantage of wind energy will be pleased to know that there are small wind electric systems available now that can reduce electric bills by 50% to 90%. These small systems can be connected to the existing power distribution system or stand alone. Using a grid connected system allows the excess electricity to flow back to the provider where stand alone systems can store the power until it is needed.