Showing posts with label Renewable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renewable. Show all posts

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Selling Renewable Energy Credits

Selling renewable energy credits is a new and interesting market. Here is some information about selling renewable energy credits and a basic understanding of the market.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are frequently referred to as Green Tags, Renewable Energy Credits, and/or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs). RECs represent the environmental and economic value of electricity produced from clean, renewable, emission-free energy resources that will never be depleted and are safe for our environment. A REC is not actual energy, just the right to say that you have offset the production of dirty power with clean power.

Producers of green power should consider selling renewable energy credits as well as the power itself, which will increase their profits. Other parties can buy RECs if they need to satisfy regulatory requirements or improve their corporate appearance. When RECs are sold, the organization buying the RECs obtains the right to claim environmental advantage.

Selling renewable energy credits allows energy users across the country to support alternative energy generation. RECs contribute to the growth of the renewable power sector, and with buyer support will continue to help make alternative power even more cost competitive.

In areas which have a REC program, an alternative energy provider (such as a wind farm) is credited with one REC for every 1,000 kWh or one MWh of electricity it creates. The average residential customer uses about 800 kWh per month. A certifying organization gives each REC an exclusive identification number to make sure it isn't sold twice. The green energy is then fed into the electrical grid (by law), and the complementary REC can then be sold on the open market.

Several certification and accounting associations attempt to ensure that RECs are legally sold and correctly tracked. The Climate Neutral Network, Green-e, and the Environmental Resources Trust's EcoPower Program certify RECs. If you are interested in selling renewable energy credits, start with your local electric company or one of these organizations.

There are two main markets for selling renewable energy credits in the United States - compliance markets and voluntary markets. A policy called the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is responsible for creating the compliance markets. Renewable Portfolio Standard requires electric companies to supply a predetermined percent of their electricity from renewable sources by a specific year.

For example, California electric companies must provide 20% energy from renewable sources by 2010. Electric utilities in these areas with RPSs must demonstrate compliance with their requirements by buying RECs. In the California sample, the electric companies would need to hold RECs equivalent to 20% of their sales.

Want to help companies and property owners go green? Sell your RECs on the voluntary market. Voluntary markets allow customers to purchase renewable power, generally out of a desire to go green. Most commercial and domestic purchases of RECs are voluntary. Alternative power providers can sell their RECs to voluntary buyers, usually at a lower price than compliance market RECs.

Detractors indicate a flaw with this system. It is argued that it does not necessarily replace dirty energy. Since some alternate energy resources, most notably wind resources, are irregular and unpredictable, their production does not replace an equivalent amount of other sources, per kW of capacity. However, they do replace on a per kWh basis, electricity from combustion sources, thus reducing greenhouse gases and undesirable byproducts.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Seven Types of Renewable Energy

When you hear the term renewable energy, you may be surprised to also hear that there are many different types of renewable energy. In essence, renewable energy means energy that can renew itself indefinitely. Hence unlike non-renewable sources of energy (like fossil fuels), renewable energy sources will regenerate themselves indefinitely. For example, solar power is dependent on the sun and wind power is dependent on the wind. However, neither sun nor the wind will diminish, as they will continue to be present as long as Earth exists. Hence you don't need to worry about renewable energy sources from being depleted. In addition, all renewable sources of energy are in general environmentally friendly and thus you will also be a participant in protecting your environment.

The various types of renewable energy sources are:
1) Solar Power
2) Wind Energy
3) Geothermal Energy
4) Wave Energy (From the oceans)
5) Tidal Energy
6) Hydro electrical Energy
7) Biomass energy

As you can see, the types of renewable energy that you can use are quite diverse. Of these various renewable energy types; solar power, wind power and geothermal energy can be used individually to supply power for your home. You can see many homes that have solar panels to produce electricity and hot water and you can also see homes that use geothermal pumps for heating.
However, the real salvation on the global scale depends on using these energy sources to generate electricity and other forms of energy on a massive scale. Thus in order to achieve this, there are various types of renewable energy plants all around the world. The most common type of renewable energy plants are probably hydroelectric power plans which are assembled near rivers and other flowing bodies of water.
In addition to this, wind energy plants are also becoming popular all around the world. Wind farms are constructed so that 20 or more wind mills are constructed together in order to maximize the electrical output of the wind power plant. Of course, other forms of renewable energy are also harnessed. There are geothermal distribution plants in some parts of the world and tidal energy and the wave energy are harnessed in some ocean coasts around the world.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Why We Need Renewable Energy Now

The Reasons We Need Renewable Energy Now

Why do we need renewable energy? There a multitude of reasons why renewable energy is a better alternative to non-renewable sources. The biggest advantage is that renewable sources are much better for the environment. They never run out. In most cases, they are free. Do you have to pay for sunshine and wind? In most instances, no. Until the world ends there will be sun and wind every day somewhere on earth. Why do we need renewable energy? Keep reading for the answers.

The main types of renewable energy are solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bio fuels.

Solar uses energy from the sun. This is done with solar panels that capture the suns energy and transform it into electricity. The power can be stored in batteries for later consumption. There are small scale do it yourself systems that you can build to supplement your homes power usage, or completely power your home with solar. On a larger scale solar can power an entire town. New technology is evolving to help solar panels work even on cloudy days. Solar shingles and roof tiles are beginning to appear also.

Wind power has been around for centuries. Wind turbines harness the power of the wind to turn a generator that produces electricity. Because it is not always windy, wind power is mostly used as a supplement to other power sources. A wind turbine could be used in conjunction with solar panels for example. Wind power can range from personal use, to large scale wind farms.

Hydro power is water power. Recently ocean wave energy has seen a rise in popularity. It's a fairly new technology. The oceans wave energy is used to power generators to make electricity. It's currently being used in Portugal. Many other countries are planning to begin using the technology as well.

Geothermal in simple terms, is a system of pipes underground that exchange heat between the ground and the building. There are systems that can heat buildings and make hot water. Geothermal systems can replace the need for heat in winter, and air condition in summer.

Bio fuels are fuels that are made from corn, animal fat, sugar cane, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. Since plants and crops can be regrown, bio fuels are also considered renewable. In contrast, fossil fuels are not renewable. They are found in the earths surface and came from long dead animals and plants. Examples of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas.

Why do we need renewable energy? Because fossil fuels will not last forever. Once the supply of fossil fuels are used up they are gone forever. This could cause a major energy crisis in the future if changes are not made today. Why do we need renewable energy? Because it doesn't require the drilling. exploring, transporting and refining that the use of oil does. That alone could save an enormous amount of time and money. Why do we need renewable energy? To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels such as oil, and coal. Coal is the biggest source for electricity in the world. Why do we need renewable energy? For your child's future. For the future of our planet. Will we face extinction as the dinosaurs did? Not if we change today.

Using a renewable energy source is a great way to save money, help the environment, and reduce dependency on foreign oil. Plus it can provide a sense of accomplishment as a do it yourself project once completed. Learn how how to make your own solar and wind power today. Make a positive difference for the future now.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Use Renewable Energy For a Better Life

Renewable energy is growing rapidly, creating thousands of jobs, reducing pollution, tapping American energy sources, and helping consumers and rural Americans. Renewable energy is cleaning up our air and water, improving our health, and protecting our climate for future generations. People do not seem to realise that renewable energy is very economical.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is currently the 'cheapest' source of renewable energy and another way to shrink the pie. It's easy, when the renewable energy industry is brought up, to picture young, fresh-faced people at the helm of such companies. And while usually that's a bad thing, with methane being a potent greenhouse gas and all, it can be captured and turned into a renewable source of energy. So how exactly do you turn cow crap into energy. Accelerating the introduction of green, environmentally friendly, energy such as solar, wind and wave power is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity in the new millennium, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) told a high-level meeting on renewable energy in Paris, this week.

A community might decide to pursue hydropower instead of wind power because it will produce more electricity than the community needs. This system provides complete protection from power surges and is a whole house backup system. Wind power could be an important part of meeting our commitments.

Wind Power Systems

Wind power attracted the most capital last year at US$50. The complete system will be used by a wind turbine manufacturer to securely hold and maneuver the enormous sheets of steel that eventually become the increasingly familiar turbines.

Add on the Solar Panels or Wind Turbine to the second choice to create your own total power generation or supplement the power from the electric company. The wind-energy industry is forging ahead in these countries, helped by government policies that encourage more clean-energy production. But wind is not the be-all-end-all of our energy needs.

Solar Energy

Solar, wind and green roofs will often be the last features considered for postgreen homes as they are more flashy and less cost effective measures in green building that are available to reduce energy consumption. Grow the system by adding 2 solar panels at a time. Several types of renewable energy exist, these include solar, wind, wave, geothermal and biomass.

Electricity by Renewable Sources

Electricity by renewable sources does avoid carbon emissions each kilowatt hour. Electricity generated from renewable sources results in less environmental waste and pollution, and displaces other non-renewable sources from the electric grid. Americans, for example, now consume 50 per cent more electricity per capita than they did 25 years ago. In 2008 the overall electricity production by renewable sources is 15% of gross electricity production in Germany and merely 19% of the electricity exchanged in public grids.

Only two percent of our electricity comes from clean, renewable sources. With more renewable energy powering our homes and churches, we will lower electricity costs, create thousands of jobs, clean our air (which is causing health problems nationwide), and move us closer to solving climate change.

It's all part of new regulations in the state that are to require utility companies to have 20% of their energy coming from renewable sources by 2010. The technical potential of wind, clean biomass, and geothermal resources in the United States is four times greater than our current total electricity consumption.

Clean Resources

The Daily Sentinel Published April 3, 2009 TVA's Board of Directors authorized the purchase of as much as 2,000 megawatts of renewable and clean energy by 2011 during its meeting in Johnson City. The extension of the credit will enable the renewable energy industry to develop and improve its technology, drive costs down even more and provide all People with clean electricity generation.

Get Electricity by Renewable Sources! This is the Future... Arti is a German author and knows many helpful tips to use Renewable Energy for your life [http://stuff4humans.com/Earth4Energy.html]

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Wish you all the Best!