Green Power: it’s for Real

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If you live and work in a part of the country where you can elect to buy your electricity from sources other than fossil fuels, you are doing reasonably well. Not so long ago, that simply was not an option for most people or businesses. But now, in a large segment of the country, you can elect to get at least a portion of your electricity from sources that generate using absolutely no fossil fuels. Through these sorts of programs, you can avoid the huge carbon footprint (and all of the nagging guilt) that you have if you buy your electricity from the more traditional types of generators that produce most of the world’s power.

Those types of generators use diminishing resources, after all. Sooner or later, they will either need to jack up their prices to pay for the dwindling supply of materials they need, or completely shut down their operations for the simple fact that there may not be enough of these materials left to actually run their plants. Between the uncertainty of fossil fuel availability in the future and the fact that they are polluting like crazy right now, it only makes sense that green power is eventually going to take over. Don’t expect it to dominate next week, but every year more households and companies sign up for it. And every year people realize a little bit better how much we’re really saving, for spending a buck or two more per month.

In some parts of the country, the green power options include hydroelectric power and solar. In other parts, the clean and renewable energy options extend more into the realm of wind generating plants and the methane gases of land fills. Believe it or not, land fills are actually a viable source of power in the modern world, that you can actually tap into legally. You ever think it would be fun to have your home be powered by garbage? Well, whether you have ever thought such a thing or not, you totally have that option nowadays. You can get your power forever with garbage.

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Environment and Industry: First Generation

GAINESVILLE, FL - APRIL 16: Harald Kegelmann f...
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It was a greet of steel and necessity. Men carved out a new empire within the United States, wishing to surpass the limits of civilizations already long since established. The world was watching this fledgling country, seeing if rebels could become conquerers; and so the Industrial Revolution began, with only one intention: progress. It was steam and piston twists, the exploration of power. No concern was offered for the future beyond its dominance – and the environment was forgotten, with forests ravaged and earth tilled until it became impotent. America grew but lost something vital to the wave of new technology.

Such technology is still seen today, however. The engine turns and water wheels have been modified for modern societies, but offer the same difficulties as the past. They are deemed first generation technologies and many have called for their dismantling.

First generation technology, defined simply, is what remains of the Industrial age. They are most often hydroelectric methods, using water to generate the needed power; and, while such notions have been offered as green in philosophy, there are still too many unfortunate effects from them. The initial building forces a wide loss of acres, constant machine emissions and possible flooding. The hydroelectric choice can also only be accomplished in specific settings, leaving the majority of the country unable to use it (unless these settings are recreated, which can prove costly). Land must instead be chosen carefully.

And these effects have forced companies to reconsider the value and ultimate usage of first generation technologies. There is logic to find in them but it must still be shaped new to ensure the environment is not harmed. And, though progress has been made, these methods are still among the most uncertain. Many believe they cannot be sustained for the years to come. They are assumed to be too problematic.

Losing the confines of the Industrial Revolution, however, could still prove possible. It is simply a matter of time and patience.

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Overcoming Concerns: The Environment and Energy

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together
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It was a new philosophy, offered with caution and unsure words; the quivering promises. An environment was to be saved – forests were to be spared and horizons were to be without their coal soaked hazes. The dominating power, forced from unkind sources, was to be shifted into alternative methods. It was not be generated without concern, allowed to exist without rules. Compromises had to be made. Standards had to be revised.

And yet this ideal was met with little certainty. Companies assumed it would be impossible; cities were unwilling to risk their established profits. The environment was important, they conceded, but it was not the only issue (and it was far behind the more obvious ones of power and its constant needs).

But the movement did not die, despite the chides and derision; and during the 1990’s it began to slowly (and painstakingly) flourish. Second generation technology–as it was called–could be found across the world and its effects were soon seen.

Composed of modern inventions like solar panels, wind farms and thermal drills, second generation technology is the result of necessary change. Its predecessors (hydroelectric dams and costly generators) were often burdened to complications, leaving many to consider them unworthy; and from this consideration came a call for power that would utilize the environment, rather than exploiting it.

Such a distinction was difficult to reach but second generation technology did manage. Its inclusion of solar energy and renewable causes allowed it become far more than a simple alternative. It instead had the potential to become the only choice. And, while such implementation has not yet occurred, the progress made toward it has been remarkable – when the movement began in 1996, there was an estimated 6,100 turbines found throughout the world. By 2008 that number had risen to almost 200,000; with land being used willingly and companies forming kinder opinions. Those results are staggering and offer hope for the days to come.

Second generation technology is the awakening of the green philosophy. It is poised to continue on and create a better future.

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Hydroelectricity: The Worries of Environment

The upper reservoir (Llyn Stwlan) and dam of t...
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It is assumed to be the easiest of ideas: the value of hydroelectricity is known, understood as a sustainable force. Water can generate the needed power, allowing currents to spark where they must. And the reduction of carbon dioxide has marked the process a worthy ally to the environment and its causes. There can be no obvious complaints. There can be no true concerns. Countries across the world have favored this method for decades and it seems only right that you should follow. It is, after all, progress; and that is never to be denied.

It is, however, to be cautioned.

While none can refute the advantages of hydroelectricity (its elimination of fuel, its reservoir’s multi-functions, its ease of maintenance), none can also refute the difficulty in choosing the appropriate location for it. This is more than a simple need for land. This is instead a long process of selection and consideration. This alternative cannot simply be placed where you wish. It must adhere to strict conditions – and these can sometimes put it at odds with the environment it’s seeking to protect.

Hydroelectricity requires reservoirs, which of course requires the use of lakes and fertile miles; but this forces constant building and loss of acres. During (and after) construction the surrounding ecosystems will be lost – replaced to stone and generators. Flooding is common; stripped land is expected; and often creatures will even find themselves caught within the turbines. The introduction of this supposedly green method takes a heavy toll on all aquatic life.

And it is because of this that hydroelectricity has become a concern for all. While its long-term effects are to be noted as impressive, its immediacies are dangerous. It harms the environment long before it can save it. And this has created much controversy.

The land needed to form a hydro-turbine is often the most fragile. It is this that must be understood before any building is considered.

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