What is a green energy model?

You might be asking yourself that when you read the title to this article. “89% of consumers are interested in Eco-friendly products, only 30% actually look for them”- Information Resource, inc. 2008. Green Energy Models are working models for sustainable living in our communities. They incorporate a myriad of different renewable resources and technologies to help reduce our impact on our environment. While researching Green Energy Models I quickly realized the lack of actual models being presented out there for the public to read and understand. There’s a lot of information presented about individual green energy models, and resources that you may already be familiar with. Regardless there is a lack in cohesive large scale plans to utilize more than 1-2 of them to allow our cities to become Eco-friendly.

Solar energy is the most widely known small scale Green Energy Model.

Without the Sun our planet would be a different place entirely. It’s been consistently putting off power for the past 10 billion years. We only receive a small fraction of what the Sun generates, and most of that is in visible light. This makes capturing the Sun’s rays a very viable option for green energy. Wind energy is also a widely known small scale Green Energy Model. It’s directly dependent on the Sun as well, and you really can’t have a more dependable source for energy. When the Earth is hit by the sunlight it causes the surface of the planet to heat up. This in turn causes the air directly above it to warm and rise, which gives way to wind. Wind turbines are a invaluable tool for improving our sustainability. Water is another tool that Archaeologists have found humans using for over 3000 years. Originally water wheels were used to grind grains, although modern water uses for generating power aren’t much different. Water is either boiled to produce steam which turns turbine blades, or it directly turns the turbine through hydroelectric dams and tidal power.

We should focus on sustainable design and building practices utilizing these small scale Green Energy Models in a larger, more all encompassing model.

The U.S. Green Building Council provides the LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system, which is internationally recognized for green building. They analyze performance in key areas that effect sustainability, here’s a look at what LEED measures.

• Sustainable Site Development Site selection and development are important components of a building’s sustainability. The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; seeks to minimize a building’s impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls storm water runoff; and promotes reduction of erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.
• Water Efficiency- Buildings are major users of our potable water supply. The goal of the Water Efficiency category is to encourage smarter use of water, inside and out. Water reduction is typically achieved through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside and water-conscious landscaping outside.
• Energy & Atmosphere- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings use 39% of the energy and 74% of the electricity produced each year in the United States. The Energy & Atmosphere category encourages a wide variety of energy-wise strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative measures.
• Materials & Resources- During both the construction and operations phases, buildings generate a lot of waste and use large quantities of materials and resources. The Materials & Resources category encourages the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced and transported products and materials. It promotes waste reduction as well as reuse and recycling, and it particularly rewards the reduction of waste at a product’s source.
• Indoor Environmental Quality- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend about 90% of their day indoors, where the air quality can be significantly worse than outside. The Indoor Environmental Quality category promotes strategies that improve indoor air as well as those that provide access to natural daylight and views and improve acoustics.

(Source U.S. Green Building Council LEED Program)

Green Energy Models are a very important part of our future.

We should apply sustainable framework to help reduce our detrimental effects on our ecosystems. Following the steps laid out for us by places like the U.S. Green Building Council takes a lot of the guess work out of doing it yourself. There are many benefits that most people don’t know about with green energy as well. Renewable Energy Certificates are provided for every 1 megawatt hour of energy a provider puts back into the system. The green energy is fed into the electrical grid (by mandate), and the accompanying Renewable Energy Certificate can then be sold on the open market. The current price ranges for each certificate are between 200-600 dollars for each megawatt hour produced back into the system. There’s many good reasons to follow a green energy model in your business or home, but the margin for profit may be the most motivational of them all.
Renewable Energy Certificates