RENEWEGIES

Learn about greener "Renewegies" -- renewable energy sources:

Geothermal | Biomass | Wind | Hydrogen | Solar | Hydropower | Ocean

As technology evolves and innovation advances daily, new products and processes come to market for both residential and commercial use. Relying on these underlying technologies, Greener Dawn's mission is to improve our environment and put cash in your pocket.

Geothermal Energy (video)

  • Heat from deep inside the earth or even just near the surface can be processed to heat and power buildings and residences.
  • Wells are drilled inside the earth to bring steam and hot water to the surface to drive turbines which power electric generators
  • This heat and power source is extraordinarily renewable, clean, reliable (over 95% available), and homegrown (major sources of geothermal energy lie beneath the western United States).

Biomass Energy (video)

  • This renewable energy is created from any organic material from plant or animals; however, the source is called biomass and is generated from agricultural and forestry residues, municipal solid wastes, industrial wastes, and terrestrial and aquatic crops grown solely for energy purposes.
  • Biomass is used to generate electricity and power and to produce liquid based transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.
  • Ethanol is the most popular bio fuel with a majority of it made from corn; however, numerous technologies are emerging to produce ethanol from abundant cellulosic biomass sources, including crop and forestry residues, energy crops such as switchgrass and sorghum, and sorted municipal wastes.
  • Congress passed energy legislation, known as the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which raises standards for vehicle fuel economy and mandate that U.S. transportation fuel include 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2022-and 2 billion gallons as soon as 2012.

Wind Energy (video)

  • A wind turbine can use the power of the wind to generate electricity for homes, buildings, and wind plants.
  • Wind turbines have 2-3 propeller- like blades while usually mounted 100 feet in the air to form a rotor.
  • Once the rotor begins to spin from the power of the wind, it spins a generator to make electricity.
  • This renewable energy can be combined with a photovoltaic solar cell system, connected to a utility power grid, or a distributed energy system.

Hydrogen Power (video)

  • This natural, simple element is produced by extracting it from another fossil fuel, biomass, water, or other compound in which it is found.
  • Today, most hydrogen production is by steam reforming natural gas; however, heavy research is being conducted for cost effective alternate methods.
  • Once hydrogen is produced, it can be combined with oxygen to power fuel cells for electricity and heat.
  • Fuel Cells have the ability to revolutionize the way we power our nation and to produce clean electricity for vehicles, residential homes, and commercial buildings.

Solar Energy (video)

  • Solar technologies use the sun's energy to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry.
  • Photovoltaic cells are primarily made of silicon incorporated in semiconductors to convert sunlight directly into electricity.
  • Concentrated Solar Power is another sunlight energy process using a dish system and parabolic troughs made of reflective materials that funnel energy to a generator to produce electricity.
  • Solar technologies diversify the energy supply, reduce the country's dependence on imported fuels, improve air quality, and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydropower (video)

  • Hydropower is using water to power machinery or make electricity as it constantly moves through a vast global cycle, evaporating from lakes and oceans, forming clouds, precipitating as rain or snow then flowing back down to the ocean.
  • The energy of this water cycle, which is driven by the sun, can be tapped to produce electricity or for mechanical tasks like grinding grain.
  • Hydropower is a fueled by water, so it's a clean fuel source. Hydropower doesn't pollute the air like power plants that burn fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas.
  • Within Hydroelectric facilities, turbines and generators convert the energy into electricity which is then fed into the electrical grid to be used in homes, businesses, and across the industry.

Ocean Energy (video)

  • Oceans around the globe cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface and are the world's largest solar collectors generating thermal energy from the sun.
  • The ocean also produces mechanical energy from the tides and waves as the gravitational pull of the moon primarily drives the tides, and the wind powers the ocean waves.
  • Wave power devices extract energy directly from surface waves or from pressure fluctuations below the surface.
  • Tidal Power can be generated into electricity with the difference between high and low tides but they must be at least 16 feet.
  • A process called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the heat energy stored in the Earth's oceans to generate electricity.

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