What Does Clean Energy Mean?

What Does Clean Energy Mean?
Clean energy refers to generation systems which do not produce any pollution, particularly greenhouse gases leading to climate change such as CO2. 

Clean energy is energy generated from resources that do not release air polluters while green energy is energy generated from natural resources. Although they are said to be the same, there is a nuance between these two energy types.

Differences between Clean and Renewable Energy Resources
Clean energy and renewable energy are two concepts used together however it is important to understand the difference between them. Some of the renewable energy types may cause pollution. For example, biogas and biodiesel are renewable energy sources and they are obtained from natural, inexhaustible sources. However, in contrast to many renewable energies, they burn and pollute the atmosphere and emit greenhouse gases. And clean energies do not pollute nature.

Renewable energy refers to energy that is generated from constantly renewed sources. In contrast to fossil fuels and gas, renewable energy sources include inexhaustible wind and solar energy as well.

However, although many green energy sources are renewable, not all renewable energy sources are included in green energy category. For example, hydroelectric is a renewable energy but it may not be categorized as green energy since “deforestation and industrialization” caused by the construction of hydroelectricity dams may harm the environment. 

Perfect clean energy emerges when green energy meets with renewable energy such as solar energy and wind energy.

The easiest way to remember the differences between these energy types is this:

• Clean energy = Clean air
• Green energy = Natural sources
• Renewable energy = Recyclable sources

What Are the Most Popular Clean Energy Types?
Most clean energies are also renewable energies; 

1. Wind energy
This kinetic energy obtained by transforming wind, an inexhaustible energy source, becomes electricity. There are two types of wind turbines according to where they are built. Land wind energy and off shore wind energy. 

2. Solar energy
Solar energy consists of transforming light to electricity by using photovoltaic effect. Similar to wind energy, solar energy is also categorized as clean, renewable, local and inexhaustible energy.

3. Hydroelectric energy
Hydroelectric energy is using the power generated by the force of water falling from above or flowing downwards to generate electricity.

4. Energy coming from green hydrogen
This refers to using a chemical process known as electrolyze to produce hydrogen which is a light, reactive and universal fuel. In this method, an electricity current is used to separate hydrogen from the oxygen in the water. If the electricity used in this process is obtained from renewable sources, energy which does not emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere may be generated. 

5. Geothermal energy
Energy generated using the heat emitted from the center of the earth is called geothermal energy. Heat coming from the hot water layers flowing under the earth and rocks are used.

 What Are the Advantages of Clean Energy?
There are many renewable energy types and they all have some common aspects; 

• They are environment-friendly: They don’t give out greenhouse gas or other polluting emissions in the atmosphere with clean energy.
• They are limitless: They are obtained from inexhaustible or rapidly renewable natural sources.
• They promote energy independence: They use natural sources found anywhere in the planet. Thus, the countries may develop their own technologies rather than being dependent to electricity generated abroad.
• They create employment and strengthen local economy: Intense labor is required to construct renewable energy facilities and maintain and operate these regularly. Thus, employment is created and contribution is made in the country’s economy.

Benefits of Clean Energy 
Clean energy provides various environmental and economic benefits, including reduction in air pollution. Supply of clean energy reduces dependency on imported fuels as well as financial and environmental costs caused by this. 

Since the sources are naturally renewed and there is no need to extract and haul fuels such as oil or coal, renewable clean energy is essentially cost saving. 

Another industrial benefit of clean energy is that it creates employment to develop and produce future clean energy sources.

How Can Clean Energy Be Used?
Solar energy can be used to heat and illuminate buildings, generate electricity, directly heat and cool water and more. Solar panels enable collection of solar energy and its conversion to electricity. Solar panels are used frequently for small electricity works such as charging batteries, even today many people use solar energy for their garden lights. This clean energy technology can be used to power houses or buildings as well as to provide for a city’s power needs with bulk panels in bigger scales. 

Water energy is generated at hydroelectric power plants which receive water flow from rivers, creeks or lakes in order to produce electricity and electric power is supplied for general utilization. 

Wind energy is generated by establishing a connection to a generator that converts the turning of windmill fans to power. This form of energy has been used for centuries for grain milling, water pumping or other mechanical tasks. Land and off shore wind plants has become more popular today and wind energy is used to generate electricity.

The Future of Clean Energy
In recent years we have witnessed establishment of renewable energy capacity more than the total of fossil fuel and nuclear capacity in the global scale. Energy produced from renewable sources constitute more than one third of the power capacity in the planet. As an example of this, England used renewable energy for two months in 2020 in the whole country. 

As the world population increases, there will be a constantly increasing demand for energy. Thus, renewable sources constitute the most valid way to provide sustainable energy solutions as well as to protect the planet from climate change. 

And utilization of clean energy is continually increasing since cities create policies to increase the usage of renewable energy. 29 states in the United States of America created renewable energy portfolio to necessitate a certain percentage of the consumed energy to be coming from renewable sources. Currently, more than 100 cities across the world use minimum 70% renewable energy. 

Thus, it is expected that -only- renewable energy would be used in our future and its cost would be reduced increasingly since fossil fuels are limited sources.

How Can Clean Energy Reduce Global Warming?
People have been using fossil fuels for more than 150 years and as the usage of these increased, greenhouse gas emissions resulting from combustion of these fuels also increased. These greenhouse gases lock the heat in the atmosphere in and lead to an increase in the planet’s temperature. And the resulting global warming is a symptom of climate change seen in the increase of extreme weather events, change in wild life habitats and populations, rising sea levels and other impacts. 

Renewable energy sources do not cause global warming since they do not emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Renewable sources mean that global warming does not advance, and measures such as reforestation may help in mitigating the harm that has already been done to climate and may come together in order to reduce global warming.

Can Clean Energy Replace Fossil Fuels?
As mentioned above, people have been using fossil fuels since decades not and this means that transition into clean energy is a relatively new concept. Thus, renewable energy sources do not meet our global power demands. However, we see that our energy need may be balanced by efficiently storing renewable energy and the demand will gradually increase. As the experts argue that clean renewable energy may replace fossil fuels by 2050, many works have been started in the world in order to develop clean energy infrastructure and storage capacities.

How Would Clean Energy Help Our Economy?
Clean energy provides many financial benefits. Especially the works conducted to improve infrastructure, and produce, establish and maintain new clean energy solutions provide employment and means for savings. As the world moves away from fossil fuels, renewable and clean energy sector grows, and this creates many opportunities in various fields, from eMobility to energy generation and storage. 

The expertise branches stemming from the development of these next generation power solutions increase employment. 

And since the real incentive behind clean energy is to create a better future for the planet, the cost of clean energy is only a small part of the story for now.

Why Is Clean Energy Usage Important?
The most important aspect of clean energy is its global and environmental benefit. Clean, renewable sources protect natural resources of the world while decreasing environmental disaster risks such as fuel leakage or natural gas leakage. 

As the dependency to fossil fuels continues, clean energy seems to be the future of the power need of the world across the world. As the trend towards clean, green and renewable energy continues, the costs would decrease. 

Increasingly more people accept the environmental, social and economic benefits of clean energy and this progress seems to continue as more cities, states and countries create green power agendas. 

Clean energy is imperative to sustain social activities. As climate crisis threatens all living beings in the world, the most effective way for solution seems to be investing in clean energy.