Green energy refers to the consumption of energy that is not only more economical than fossil fuels but that is enviromentally friendly as well. Green power is broadly defined as energy sources that dont pollute and are renewable.

There are several forms of green power. They are anaerobic digestion, wind power, geothermal power, hydropower on a small scale, biomass power, solar energy and wave power. Waste incineration can even be a source of green energy.

Nuclear power stations claim that they produce clean power as well, though this source is filled with controversy, as we all know. While nuclear energy might be sustainable, may be considered renewable and does not pollute the atmosphere while it is producing energy, its own particular waste does pollute the biosphere as it is released.

The transport, mining and phases before and after production of nuclear energy does produce and release CO2 and similar destructive greenhouse gases. When we read of green energy, therefore, we rarely see nuclear energy included.

Those who support nuclear power say that nuclear waste is not, in fact, expelled into our earths biosphere during its normal operating cycle. They stress as well that the carbon dioxide that nuclear power generation releases is comparable, in terms of each kilowatt hour of electricity, to such sources of green energy as wind power.

As an example of the green energy production the average wind power turbine, such as the one in Reading England, can produce enough energy daily to be the only energy source for 1000 households.

Many countries offer customers to opt for total use of green energy. They do this one of two ways. Consumers can buy their power from a company that only uses renewable power generation, or they can buy from their general supplies such as the local utility company who then buys from renewable power sources only as much of a supply as consumers pay for.

The latter is generally a more cost-effective way of supplying a consumer with green power, as the supplier can reap the cost benefits of a mass purchase. Green power generally costs more per kilowatt hour than standard fossil fuel energy.

End users can also purchase green energy certificates, which are alternately referred to as green tags or green certificates. These are available in both Europe and the United States, and are the most handy method for the average consumer to support renewable energy. More than 35 million European households and one million American households now purchase these renewable energy certificates.

While green energy is a great step in the direction of keeping our surroundings healthy and our air as pollutant free as possible, it must be noted that no matter what the energy, it will negatively impact the environment to some extent.

Every energy source, green or otherwise, requires energy in some form for its manufacture and even its parts such as plastics which are sourced from fossil fuel to build even small wind turbines.