Green Electricity

By: Dave Sabri Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Over sixty per cent of the UK's electricity is produced by coal and gas powered electricity plants. These power stations generate millions of tons of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which are known to cause climate change.

Much of the remaining electricity in the UK is produced by nuclear power stations, but there is still no satisfactory way to dispose of radioactive byproducts. With the decreasing stocks and rising prices of fossil fuels like gas an oil, environmentalists fear that even more nuclear power stations will be built, and so the race is on to find cleaner ways to produce electricity.

Green electricity is electricity that comes from sources which have only minimal impacts on the environment. Constant sources of energy like the wind, sun and waves are known as renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be used to produce green electricity.

Wind turbines are growing more popular in the UK, and wind turbines now supply some of the electricity for the national grid. Modern turbines are quieter and more efficient than early models as more research has led to improvements in their design. The placement of so called windfarms in the countryside has been controversial because some people don't like the way they look and have concerns about how wildlife could be affected.

There is a potential solution to the perceived disfigurement of our countryside which is to build windfarms out at sea. If this can be made to be cost effective, wind could become the UK's solution to future electricity supplies.

Solar power is an energy source that we could make more use of to generate electricity, even in the UK. Currently, solar panels are so expensive they are not widely used, but as demand increases and more are produced, the prices will hopefully come down. Solar power could one day be the world's number one source of electricity. A big advantage of solar panels is that they can be used even in remote locations which are not on the national grid.

The energy of rivers can be harnessed to power turbines which generate electricity. There are already a few large hydroelectric plants in the UK, and there is potential for many more low impact, small scale hydroelectric turbines in lots of places in the UK.

Wave power is something of a holy grail for green electricity in the UK. Research is underway to find methods or harnessing the energy that is in the waves all around our coastline. If an efficient effective way can be found, then wave power could be a great source of green electricity in the future.

As consumers' interest in green electricity grows, energy providers are looking for ways to make energy production more environmentally friendly. Even big providers like British Gas, who supply massive amounts of electricity, are offering carbon neutral dual fuel deals. This means that the carbon dioxide created as a by product of your electricity is offset by British Gas's investment in projects to develop green electricity. Choosing carbon neutral products like this is a great way to support green electricity production and prevent climate change.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Switch to British Gas electricity and save up to 40% on your energy. Officially the cheapest electric providers on average the United Kingdom.