We all need to live 'greener'. And rightly so, because climate change is making its mark on the world, and that impact is only going to get worse as we need more and more energy. So to reduce emissions, we need to switch to green energy as much as possible. But what exactly is green energy?
Green energy is energy generated from clean, inexhaustible sources. These are energy sources that have little or no pollution and do not run out. Environmentally friendly and sustainable, in other words. We also call it alternative energy, because traditionally we use a lot of burning natural gas, coal and petroleum to generate power.
You can generate power sustainably in several ways. The most common are wind energy, hydropower, solar energy and biomass.
Today, nuclear energy, geothermal energy and energy from hydrogen are also increasingly being used.
energy from the wind
energy from flowing or falling water
energy from the sun
energy from plants and organic waste
he advantages of green energy are often well known. However, there are sometimes disadvantages too. For example, wind turbines have a significant impact on the landscape, spoil the view and pose a danger to birds. Furthermore, the energy output of onshore wind turbines is not particularly consistent. In addition, dams and reservoirs have an impact on the environment, and burning biofuel may emit more CO₂ than necessary.
Solar energy therefore perhaps appears to be the most environmentally friendly option. Read here to find out just how sustainable solar panels really are.
In the Netherlands, by far the most green energy comes from biomass and wind energy. A smaller share of green energy is generated by solar panels and an even smaller share is generated from hydropower or ground heat. Quite remarkable when you consider that the use of biomass is perhaps the most polluting in terms of emissions and there is a lot of opposition to windmills!
Many people think that green power is more expensive than grey power from fossil fuels. For example, because the techniques are more complicated and therefore more expensive. In practice, however, green power is hardly more expensive, if at all. However, it is smart to compare suppliers. After all, energy from Dutch power companies may be just slightly more expensive than green power from Norwegian hydropower plants!
With both green and grey power, 230V just comes out of the socket. You don't notice any difference. So how do you know if your energy is green? To guarantee its green origin, Guarantees of Origin (GO) are used in Europe. For every 1,000 kWh of green electricity generated, a producer receives such a GvO. Energy companies can only offer green energy for which they have GvOs. No more than that. On the power label of your energy supplier's annual accounts, you can find which type of power you received the previous year.
When you think of energy consumption, you might quickly think of the appliances and heating in homes and business premises. But there is often a need for energy on location too. Think about organising sustainable events or working in the agricultural sector or on building sites. These often take place in places where a power socket may not be readily available or where nature is subject to additional nuisance from noise and emissions.
Fortunately, there is also an environmentally-friendly and sustainable solution for on-site energy needs: mobile solar panels.
