Green Energy: sustainable solutions for a green future

The concept of green energy, or green power, is part of our everyday life. The promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, the reduction of pollutant emissions, and investment in renewable energy sources are not only factors related to the environment, they are also drivers of social and economic change, with the aim of safeguarding human wellbeing and social equity, reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcity. The future is all about the green economy: a clean economy with greater durability and sharing of energy resources according to a circular economy model. That’s why it is important to know the meaning of green energy and its role in the contemporary ecosystem.

What is Green Energy?

Green energy is generated from natural sources, such as water, sun, wind and earth. It protects the environment and reduces polluting emissions, which is why it is key to the energy transition, to producing energy more efficiently, giving up pollutant fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas). However, green change is possible where economic initiatives, institutional choices and social development models are guided by respect, transparency and sustainability. A contemporary and future project, which is continuing to grow and increasingly necessary.

This is confirmed by the World Meteorological Organisation's report, according to which the average global temperature will have risen by almost 1.5° above pre-industrial levels by 2023. There are many factors at play, but the environment offers inexhaustible natural sources that require safeguarding and investment. In this respect, Italy is in an excellent position at European level, with 19.4% of the national energy requirement covered by renewable sources in 2021, according to the latest ISPRA (Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) report. But which energy sources can we call renewable?

Types of Green Energy

Renewables feed into the interconnected green energy system in the proactive vision of the EU, which aims to increase renewable energy by 42.5% by 2030. Currently there are several types of green energy recognised by the European RES - Renewable Energy Sources directive; let's take a look at the main ones.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is the primary renewable green energy from the sun's rays and therefore it is widely used on the planet. Through photovoltaic systems and solar panels, solar energy is converted into electricity and used as a power supply for household appliances or lighting systems or as a source of water heating for the boiler or domestic water heater. A photovoltaic system can be installed on the roof of your house and save you money on your electricity bill.

Wind Energy

Wind energy converts the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity thanks to wind blades, which start moving when the wind exceeds 10 km/h, and trigger the wind turbine or wind generator, which produces energy. Wind turbines are the windmills of the third millennium, and they follow one another in a sequence called a wind farm. We can often see wind farms from the highway in the great plains, where wind movement is strong and constant.

Hydroelectricity

One of the oldest types of green energy is hydroelectricity, which is produced by the wave motion of the sea, by natural and artificial waterfalls, rivers or other natural watercourses. The turbines in a hydroelectric power plant mean that almost 90% of the energy produced by the water is converted into electricity, three times more efficiently than traditional sources. Hydropower plants are usually built high in the mountains, near watercourses, where it is easier to exploit the combination of gravity and kinetic energy.

Geothermal Energy

Less widely distributed than other forms of renewable energy, geothermal energy harnesses the Earth's natural heat from elements such as potassium, thorium and uranium, transforming it into electricity. High-pressure steam from deep underground is channelled into the extraction well of the geothermal power plant and its kinetic energy sets a turbine in motion, which, with the help of an alternator, generates electricity. Geothermal power plants are usually built in places where the earth's crust is thinner and more jagged..

The Advantages of Green Energy

Green energy is inexhaustible, versatile and sustainable. Renewable sources are already present in nature and are potentially infinite as they regenerate faster than they are actually used. They power clean energy, which drastically reduces CO2 emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, thanks to increasingly technologically advanced, high-performance plants that allow natural sources to be tapped everywhere.

Green energy is growing steadily and is part of a long-term energy transition, with the aim of boosting operations in the sector and increasing jobs. The interaction between energy and the green economy is particularly topical in developing countries that are largely dependent on the exploitation of natural resources. Here, energy development can enable the emergence of new productive sectors, combating poverty and unemployment.

Focus on Solar Energy

With 1,597,447 photovoltaic systems on the ground in 2023, in Italy, renewable energy production is led by solar energy. Photovoltaic panels can be conveniently installed on the roof of either a detached house or an apartment block, as is the case with the Enel Edition models. They allow the consumer to partially provide for their own domestic electricity needs, saving up to 75% on electricity bills and guaranteeing efficiency and reliability with a durability of 25 years. A photovoltaic system is also an added value for a property and ensures a better valuation in the event of a sale. 

Enel Energia's Virtual Solar Offer

Choose Enel Virtual Solar and have the energy component discounted by 100% per cent between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., up to a maximum of 130 kWh per month. You get all the energy from photovoltaics without the need to install the panel, and you can also monitor your consumption and lock in the price for 3 years.