Green energy is any energy type that is generated from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind or water. It often comes from renewable energy sources although there are some differences between renewable and green energy, which we will explore, below. The key with these energy resources are that they don’t harm the environment through factors such as releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
As a source of energy, green energy often comes from renewable energy technologies such as solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, biomass and hydroelectric power. Each of these technologies works in different ways, whether that is by taking power from the sun, as with solar panels, or using wind turbines or the flow of water to generate energy.
Renewable energy drew more than $2.6 trillion in investment from 2010 to 2019. Building new wind or solar capacity now costs less than adding the equivalent in coal or gas plants in two-thirds of the world. Investment has pushed solar energy to more than 8% of global generating capacity, and wind to almost 9%.
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