Green Energy in Fredericksburg

What is 'Green Energy', and How is it Different than Other Energy Sources?

The term 'Green Energy' has been used for decades, but what exactly does it mean? 'Green Energy' (also known as 'Green Power', 'Sustainable Energy', 'Clean Energy', etc.) is put simply any form of energy created from renewable resources. Also, the fuel is not consumed or burned to create the energy. This includes solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal, and more. This means no fossil fuels like coal and gas, even though they are derived from the Earth.

Another way to understand what exactly makes a source of energy 'green' is what it produces (or in this case, what it doesn't produce). In order for an energy to be labeled 'green', it cannot produce any greenhouse gases (GHG). For example, solar energy gathered from solar panels absorbs the sun's rays and produces an energy source free from any greenhouse gas emissions which warm the Earth and increase climate change. However, fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, require mining to extract the fuel and the burning of the fuel leads to heavy GHG emissions.

A couple of other differences between green energy and other sources of energy are how they are replenished and harvested. Green energy sources usually are naturally replenished, as opposed to fossil fuel sources like natural gas or coal, which can take millions of years to create and develop. Green energy sources also often avoid mining or drilling operations that can be damaging to eco-systems.