8 Facts You Didn’t Know About Green Electricity Suppliers

by | Nov 18, 2019

Have you considered seeking out green energy for your business? As businesses work towards climate change obligations and targets, more and more companies are looking to ‘green’ energy solutions to offset or mitigate their carbon footprints. One of the ways of doing this is by signing up for a contract with a green electricity supplier. 

With this kind of electricity contract, your green electricity supplier undertakes to buy or produce a quantity of electricity equivalent to your consumption using renewable sources. Ultimately, choosing a green electricity supplier supports the energy transition to more sustainable alternatives.

What is green electricity?

By definition, green electricity is electricity produced exclusively from natural and renewable energy sources. Unlike fossil fuels, green energy sources will not run out. Green energy sources include:

  • Wind power
  • Solar energy
  • Hydraulic energy
  • Biomass
  • Geothermal energy

The benefits of green energy include:

  • Low environmental pollution
  • Creation of employment opportunities
  • Affordability
  • Renewability
  • Efficiency

Now that you have an understanding of what green electricity is and how it works, here are 8 facts you didn’t know about green electricity suppliers. 

#1 Green energy isn’t always 100% ‘green’

The production of green energy can also have negative environmental impacts. For example, biomass power plants that use imported wood pellets instead of local wood. Some people also argue that damming rivers or putting barriers in the sea to generate hydroelectric power is bad for the environment.

#2 Green energy creates more jobs

According to IGS, the production of green energy creates three times more jobs than the production of fossil fuels. Median wages for the green energy industry are 13% higher than the economy average. 

#3 Nuclear energy is not renewable 

Some people argue that nuclear energy can be seen as renewable energy since it doesn’t use fossil fuels directly and does not produce carbon dioxide. However, nuclear fuels will eventually run out, and carbon emissions do occur during the mining and processing of nuclear fuel. Nuclear energy also produces nuclear waste, which is difficult to dispose of safely.

#4 Green energy is not necessarily more expensive

In the past, opting to go green for your energy could come at a premium. However, thanks to a more competitive and open energy market nowadays, there are many suppliers that can now offer renewable energy deals. In some cases, green energy suppliers offer some of the cheapest contracts available. 

#5 Green energy suppliers improve access to electricity 

In many rural, under-populated and under-developed areas around the world without electricity, it’s cheaper to supply green energy than to extend to electric grid. Green energy is also cheaper than diesel and kerosene systems.

#6 Suppliers offer different types of renewable energy tariffs

Different ways to offer ‘green’ energy include:

  • Energy match: Supplier matches some or all of the electricity you use by producing renewable energy, fed into the National Grid.
  • Green investment: Suppliers funds renewable energy infrastructure or projects (may also be done in addition to energy matching). 
  • Carbon offset: Supplier offsets the carbon dioxide emissions from the energy you use investing in CO2-reducing projects.

#7 Solar energy has the potential to meet the earth’s energy demand

If properly harnessed, solar energy could meet the earth’s energy demand year-round. According to Conserve Energy Future, enough sunlight falls on the surface of the earth every hour to meet the earth’s demand for a year. 

Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the photoelectric effect in 1921. The photovoltaic effect was discovered by French physicist Edmond Becquerel in 1839 while he was experimenting with a cell made of metal electrodes in a conducting solution. He discovered that when it was exposed to light, the cell produced more electricity. This concept inspired the idea of solar panels. 

#8 Hydropower is nothing new 

Water wheels are one of the earliest forms of generating hydropower. In centuries gone by, water wheels were used to generate power, influencing the design of today’s water turbines that are now used to generate hydropower. 

How can I switch to a green electricity supplier?

These days, it’s easier than ever to find and switch to a green energy plan. 

Get in touch with a Smarter Business consultant to find out more about green energy suppliers for business.

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