Solar Energy

Solar energy is energy collected from the sun. Solar collectors and modules are designed to capture some of the sun’s energy and change into more usable forms such as heat or electricity. Sunlight is a great source of heat and electricity, the two most important forms of energy we consume. Solar energy is an increasingly popular method of generating electricity to, heat swimming pools or buildings etc.

The main concerns with solar energy include land disturbance/land use, visual changes to the landscape, impacts associated with hazardous materials and potential impacts on water and other resources (the extent of the impact depends on the solar technology). Energy is also required to manufacture and install solar components. Any fossil fuels used for this purpose will also generate emissions.

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Wind Energy

The wind has been used by humans for hundreds of years, first to carry ships across oceans and later to pump water and grind grain. More recently wind has been harnessed as a clean, safe source of electricity. Today, airflows can be used to run turbines that generate electricity. Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind turbines.

The environmental impact of wind energy is negligible but concerns have been raised over the noise produced by the rotor blades, visual impacts, and deaths of birds and bats that fly into the rotors (avian/bat mortality).

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Water Energy

The energy associated with harnessing water has also been used around the world for hundreds of years. It used to be common to use water wheels to provide the power for mills that ground grains. Today the energy in the water is mainly used to produce electricity via hydroelectricity—using the energy generated by falling water.

Hydroelectricity does not produce significant greenhouse gas emissions but does have other major environmental impacts. The reservoirs often destroy vast areas of highly productive forest and wildlife habitat. The dams also damage freshwater ecosystems by blocking the movement of fish and other organisms.

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Biomass Energy

Biomass energy is produced from energy crops or from waste materials. Heat, electricity, and transportation fuels can be made from plant materials and wastes such as agricultural residues, forest underbrush and organic human wastes. The food you eat, plants that die, woodchips and seaweed are all sources of biomass energy.

Most rubbish we throw out is buried in the ground (also known as a landfill). The gas generated by a landfill as it rots (biomass) is another form of renewable or "green" energy.

Landfill gas is created when the waste you throw away starts rotting (or decomposing) in the ground. This gas can be captured and processed to create electricity. Biomass may also include biodegradable wastes that can be burn as fuel.

Biomass energy can have a negative environmental impact if there is too much CO₂ produced. The CO₂ contributes to global warming.

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Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is formed from the heat inside the Earth that causes hot springs, geysers and volcanoes. Some countries have used it for thousands of years in some as a source of hot water, cooking and heating. Steam produced from heat found beneath the surface of the earth can also produce electricity.

The primary impacts of geothermal plant construction and energy production are gaseous emissions, land use, noise and potential ground disturbances (also know as subsidence).

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