Fossil fuels are one of the most common energy sources, but it can be quite costly. For consumers looking to utilize less, there are several options. These include several different types of green energy as well as finding ways to reduce consumption.
What Are Fossil Fuels?
Fossil fuels, or carbon-containing materials that can be burned for energy production, include coal, oil and natural gas. Fossils formed over geological time from prehistoric plants and animals that died, decomposed, were compressed and heated until finally becoming fossils.
When burned for energy purposes they release carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – further heating our planet! You can visit this site for more information.
Fossil fuel use poses serious environmental and health concerns. Burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change, impacting people around the world as well as future generations.
Fossil fuels also lead to other forms of pollution including acid rain which damages natural areas as well as buildings; its acid content contains sulfuric and nitric acids which harm trees, kill fish, damage monuments and sculptures, as well as cause other forms of harm such as acid rain.
Switch to renewable energy
There are many factors that influence the mix of power sources in your local grid, but you have more influence than you might realize over what ends up on your electricity bill. You can visit https://bestestrøm.no/når-er-strømmen-billigst/ to learn more. By switching to renewable energy, you can help move toward a greener future for utilities in your community and it is much simpler than you may imagine!
Many companies provide green power options, including 100% wind energy. You may pay slightly more for renewable energy, but the extra expense comes with peace of mind knowing you are supporting renewable resources.
Transitioning to renewable energy will also benefit your community by decreasing air pollution levels. Fossil fuels produce emissions that contribute to asthma attacks, heart disease and even cancer; moreover they require extensive infrastructure for access such as digging wells or mines, building pipelines for transporting oil to refineries compared with renewables which require much lower investments while producing no harmful byproducts.
There is increasing agreement that we need to move quickly away from fossil fuels and into renewables, but how we will afford it remains an open question. Thankfully, recent Deloitte power industry executive surveys found that wind and solar are now competitive with fossil fuels even when taking into account tax incentives and storage costs.
Renewable Energy Sources – Hydroelectricity
Water has long been harnessed for labor-intensive tasks, from turning water wheels in mills that grind grain into flour to cutting lumber with water saws. But in the late 1800s humans realized it could also be harnessed for electricity production through hydroelectricity or hydropower.
Damming or diverting bodies of water to produce electricity via turbines connected to generators can produce hydropower which is then sent through transmission lines to homes and businesses as a form of emissions-free renewable power generation.
Hydropower has been around since at least the 19th century and currently remains one of the world’s primary renewable electricity sources of generation with regards to emission-free renewable generation capacity compared with fossil fuel sources like coal or natural gas production.
Hydropower plants are flexible power sources that can quickly scale up or down according to demand, serving multiple purposes besides just power generation such as flood control and irrigation during drought conditions.
While creating dams and reservoirs requires significant investments, once established these facilities can operate for decades. Furthermore, pumped storage hydropower plants store energy by pumping water uphill into higher pools when demand spikes, then releasing it again when demand subsides, creating electricity via its kinetic energy.
Biomass
Biomass refers to living or once-living organisms that produce energy for use as an energy source, including plants and animals as well as organic waste from industry and households.
Biomass may be directly burned for heat production or converted into liquid and/or gaseous fuels used for transportation and electric power applications.
Biomass offers many advantages: it reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and may help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; waste doesn’t end up in landfills as quickly; producers of paper and food products find new revenue sources from biomass use; it prevents waste from ending up in landfills altogether and offers revenue opportunities.
Many homes use biomass in the form of burning firewood or stove pellets or using wood charcoal for cooking purposes. Industrially speaking, biomass can also be used to make liquid biofuels that can be used as co-fired sources at electric power plants alongside coal for cogeneration of electricity.
Solar
Sunlight that hits Earth every hour provides enough energy for our daily needs for an entire year, making solar power the solution to our energy woes.
Solar panels convert this sunlight into electricity or heat that can either be stored (via thermal mass systems like stone or paraffin wax) or sent directly into the grid and used at peak times when energy demand peaks.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is one of the more prevalent forms of solar power. PV works by using electronic devices called solar cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity. This is a quickly growing technology that has revolutionized energy production and can be found everywhere from small kits that power calculators up to huge installations providing electricity to entire cities.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and solar water heating technologies also use the sun’s energy, using mirrors to concentrate its rays to heat a fluid that then powers a turbine, producing electricity.
Solar energy can also be harvested and retained through orienting buildings towards the sun, selecting materials with great thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces with natural air circulation patterns.
Wind
Wind power has no fuel costs and is considered one of the cleanest forms of energy available today, making it one of the more environmentally-friendly sources.
Unfortunately, its price can vary considerably depending on site and project, including capital expenses (for turbine and transmission facilities), borrowed funds, return to investors, estimated annual production and other components which must all be averaged out over its anticipated useful lifespan.
Wind power is a sustainable source of renewable energy, and groups of wind turbines grouped together into wind farms on land or offshore in lakes or oceans can harness this kinetic energy through large multi-blade rotors with diameters as large as 100 meters, channeled into electricity generation.
People have been harnessing wind energy for centuries to power sail boats, mill grain, and pump water – reaping its many advantages such as zero emissions, production in any climate, and low startup and operating costs as well as fast construction times.
Geothermal
Geothermal energy comes from Earth’s core as well as natural hot springs, steam vents, geysers, and volcanic activity. Power plants harness this heat source and use it to generate electricity.
Geothermal resources in most parts of the world can be found along tectonic plate boundaries; countries which heavily rely on geothermal power include Iceland, Costa Rica and those located in the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Geothermal power plants generally fall into two main categories: dry steam and flash.
Dry steam plants take high-pressure hot water directly from underground reservoirs to power turbines and generators, returning any surplus steam back to its source reservoir.
Flash plants use high-pressure, superheated reservoir water mixed with cooler low pressure reservoir water to generate steam for driving a turbine; any remaining liquid is then returned back into hydrothermal reservoir for reuse.
Geothermal energy can help decarbonize industrial processes that would be difficult or impossible to electrify without it, replacing fossil fuels in heating, drying and sterilization processes for instance.
Furthermore, geothermal plants produce negligible greenhouse gas emissions making them one of the cleanest power sources available today.
Utilizing green technology isn’t the only way to break away from the most expensive types of electricity. Focusing on reducing energy consumption is another way to do this.
Switch to a more sustainable lifestyle
Sustainable living means making an effort to reduce our impact on the environment by using less resources, making sure what you use is reusable or replaceable, and decreasing waste production.
Living sustainably can also save money. By following some basic sustainability practices such as cutting consumption or switching to renewable energy sources, it could end up saving significant sums of cash.
As part of your sustainable living journey, consider purchasing a worm composter to turn food waste into fertilizer or signing up with a green or responsible bank that invests in social businesses and community projects.
Although sustainable living might seem costly and inaccessible at first, all it requires is some thought and hard work on your part to achieve lasting change.