5 FAQs About Green Energy
The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Green Energy
Whether you’re new to green energy or you started using it to fuel your home as soon as it was available, there are always questions arising about what green energy actually is, what sources it can come from, and more. Read on to get all your questions about green energy answered.
What is Green Energy?
Green energy (also known as renewable energy, clean energy, or alternative energy) is any type of energy that is generated from natural sources and can be naturally replenished. It can also be defined by the fact that it can’t be depleted with its use (because it is naturally renewing itself).
What Sources Does Green Energy Come From?
Green energy can come from any natural energy-producing source. The sources currently used for consumer energy include: solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydropower, biomass, and biofuels. While most people are familiar with solar and wind power, the rest are less commonly known. For example, biomass is a renewable organic matter that can be derived from living organisms. Biodiesel is fuel made from plant oils, usually found in soybean or rapeseed oils, animal fats, vegetable oils, or microalgae oils.
Why Use Green Energy?
There are numerous benefits of using green energy sources, but it’s easiest to start by outlining the harm of using non-renewable sources. Non-renewable energy sources include fossil fuels and nuclear energy, and this is where most of the world’s energy currently comes from. The problem with these energy sources is that they are rapidly being depleted and using them is incredibly harmful to the earth. In the U.S., the electricity sector contributes more to climate change than any other sector. There are plenty of other harmful effects of these energy sources, which you can read about on our renewable energy page.
In contrast to fossil fuels and nuclear energy, green energy is produced through clean (non-polluting) practices—hence one of its many names, clean energy. In addition to its clear benefits for the planet, green energy has the additional benefit of being naturally renewable—it won’t be depleted like fossil fuels will.
What Percentage of US Energy Consumption Comes From Green Energy?
In the US, only 13% of energy comes from renewable sources. Of that 13%, 6% is from water power and the remaining 7% comes from various other sources (wind power, solar power, biomass, etc.).
What Are Renewable Energy Credits?
With Star Energy, the energy you purchase and use funds the creation of more renewable energy. This works through the use of renewable energy credits (also called renewable energy certificates). Each 1 megawatt-hour of electricity gives you 1 renewable energy credit, which proves that the energy you used was green energy and allows for the creation of more green energy.
How to Get Started
If you’re interested in using all renewable energy to fuel your home, you can start by getting a quote and comparing it to your current rates. From there, it’s easy to start using renewable energy, which in turn creates more green energy (through renewable energy credits). If you want to learn more, give us a call or contact us online.
