Green Power

Renewable energy is a type of energy that comes from sources that are not based on finite sources such as fossil fuels; their cycle of production repeats itself endlessly. Wind and solar are the two most typical types of renewable energy since the wind blows and the sun shines naturally. The challenge is to harness and distribute their power; the elements do the rest. Renewable energy is sometimes referred to as ‘green power’. Green power, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a sub-category of renewable energy and it refers to the greenest types of renewable energy, the ones that “provide the highest environmental benefit”.

The agency defines as green power electricity generated from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources. The organization includes a page that lists green power communities (GPCs) spread across the United States. These are towns, towns, villages, cities, counties and tribal governments where the community, via their local administrations, businesses and residents, buy green power that meet or exceed EPA’s requirements to qualify as a GPC.

EPA also runs a program called Green Power Partnership designed to encourage “organizations to buy green power to reduce the environmental impact of electricity use”. The agency has developed a number of Partner Initiatives that focus on the collective buying efforts within specific sectors in order to help organizations to recognize opportunities more easily.

We can all do our share to make green power grow. By switching to alternative energy in our homes, or switching to utilities that generate power from renewable energy sources, we will collectively increase demand for green power and mitigate the impact that anthropogenic climate change will have on life on the planet.