Green Energy
Green electricity means that electricity has been produced with renewable energy. In Finland it generally means water or wind power. Other forms of green electricity production are solar power and geothermal energy. Bioenergy is also classified as green electricity.
Green electricity contract
Green electricity is becoming more common as green values rise in society. Green electricity production and so-called green electricity contracts have increased considerably in the Finnish market in recent years.
Carbon dioxide-free and carbon-neutral production methods prevent climate change. In addition, production based on renewable energy sources is a far-sighted choice as a counterweight to non-renewable energy sources, which will inevitably run out in the future.
In Finland, green electricity is offered by e.g. Fortum and Nordic Green Energy with an indefinite electricity contract. Fortum's Varma electricity for business is a good choice for companies.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is created from resources that renew themselves in nature and are practically inexhaustible sources of energy when properly utilized.
In electricity production, renewable energy sources mean hydropower, bioenergy, wind power, geothermal energy, geothermal energy and solar energy. Basically, renewable energy sources are significantly cleaner in terms of emissions and environmental impact than other production methods. In addition, green electricity offered by electricity sellers is often relatively inexpensive, so preferring environmental electricity is a small financial sacrifice for the sake of the environment and sustainable development.
Carbon dioxide-free green electricity produced with renewable energy sources puts less strain on the environment than other production methods, but these methods also include, in addition to ecological benefits, various disadvantages that vary from one production method to another.
Solar energy
Solar power is a form of electricity production where the radiation from the sun is converted into electricity with the help of solar panels.
The Pros & Cons of solar energy
Solar power is considered one of the most promising renewable energy sources of the future. The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy as long as life on earth continues.
The ever-developing technology lowers the production costs of solar power systems and enables even more efficient storage of solar power for those times of the day and year when sunlight is limited.
The biggest disadvantage of solar power is the relatively large initial investment required by the panels and their maintenance. However, the technology is developing year by year, pushing the electricity price down.
Currently, solar power is mostly a complementary source of energy, along with other production methods. However, continuous technological development and properly targeted investments in solar power can increase the share of solar power in the earth's total production to a very considerable one in the future.
Preference for solar power is, despite its potential disadvantages, the most ecologically sustainable choice alongside other alternatives.
Wind energy
The production of wind energy simply requires a wind turbine (windmill) and sufficient wind speed to rotate the turbine of the power plant.
The Pros & Cons of wind energy
Wind power is a completely carbon dioxide-free production method using only wind, which is practically an inexhaustible source of energy when the weather conditions are favorable.
Disadvantages of wind turbines are landscape and noise nuisances, in addition to which wind power's attractiveness is weakened by the large initial investments required when building a new wind turbine.
However, the development of technology is constantly lowering the price of wind power in a more competitive direction, so the share of wind power in global energy production will increase. Placing wind turbines on the sea, on fells and in sparsely populated areas are ways to prevent aesthetic environmental damage and disturbances to the peace of nature.
Water energy
Hydropower is generated when flowing water rotates a turbine connected to an electric generator, thus producing electricity with steady reliability.
The Pros & Cons of water energy
Hydropower is a reliable, emission-free, inexpensive and domestic choice as an energy source. The affordability of hydropower is based on low production costs and independence from fuels, as flowing water is all that is needed for production.
Despite the CO2-free production, however, hydropower has some clear negative effects on the environment. The biggest of these are the changes caused by dams and regulating basins to river ecosystems and the fauna and flora of the surrounding environment. Dams can also prevent, for example, migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds. Building fishways is one way to correct ecosystem disturbances caused by hydropower.
Bio energy
Bioenergy means electricity that is produced by burning biomass that captures solar energy. Such biofuel can be, for example, wood, residual materials from the forest industry, waste from pulp mills or, for example, household waste. Bioenergy produced with wood supports the Finnish national economy through the employment effect of the forest industry.
The Pros & Cons of bio energy
The advantages of bioenergy are that the wood used for the production of bioenergy binds the same amount of carbon dioxide as it grows, which is released by burning the wood, so wood and other biomass are basically a carbon-neutral alternative as energy sources. In reality, however, CO2 emissions are generated from burning biofuels, so they are classified as renewable fossil energy sources.
The downsides of using wood include e.g. possible clear-cutting and small particle emissions from wood burning. The burning of peat is also counted as renewable bioenergy, but peat renews itself so slowly that peat cannot be considered equal to other renewable energy sources in terms of sustainable development.
For now, bioenergy is still slightly more expensive than, for example, coal or nuclear power, but the increase in the price of CO2 emissions and the development of technology will lower the price of carbon-neutral bioenergy in the future.
If bioenergy is produced in a sustainable way, carbon dioxide emissions are significantly reduced compared to other fossil fuels. Responsible use of resources guarantees that natural resources are renewed sufficiently efficiently so that electricity production can continue to be stable and the carbon sinks of our planet's forests remain vibrant.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is thermal energy collected from the earth's crust or from deeper inside the earth, which can be used for both heating and electricity production. Geothermal energy is heat energy from the sun bound to the earth's surface. Geothermal energy is the internal heat hidden deeper in the earth, which can be collected by pipes drilled deep into the rock or from hot springs, especially in volcanic areas such as Iceland.
The Pros & Cons of geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is practically emission-free, but the costs of very deep drillings increase the price of geothermal energy, in addition to which the oxide and other concentrations of deep water prevent its use directly in district heating networks.
Teemu Pesonen
Teemu Pesonen is one of the founding members of Sähkösopimukset.com and a platform technology professional with over 10 years of experience. His goal is to build the best comparison website for electricity contracts in Finland - not more than that.
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