Home Green Power Available in Maine About Us Resources

[ Introduction ] [ Energy Sources ] [ Generation Technology ] [ Environmental Benefits ]

When you buy green power, you are essentially paying more per kilowatt hour for social and environmental benefits. Every form of electricity has some impact. Different types of green power have different social and environmental benefits.

Clean Air

Green power that relies on zero emissions energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower offers a greater benefit for air quality than other forms of power production. Combustion power plants of all kinds emit carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide. Some facilities also release mercury, among other pollutants. Scientists believe that emissions of carbon dioxide are contributing to the global climate change we are experiencing. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are the primary causes of acid rain, and pose other health concerns by contributing to ground-level ozone formation.

Clean Water

Green power protects our water resources. Zero-emissions green power sources protect water quality, because air pollutants enter the water cycle when it rains. For example, fish throughout Maine contain mercury which was originally released into the environment as air pollution. Hydropower plants obviously divert water from its natural flow, but so do combustion power plants and nuclear power plants, which require water to produce steam. Solar and wind facilities use very little water per unit of energy produced.

Certification

Green-e is a voluntary certification program for renewable energy products. Green-e certification helps ensure that green power delivers the environmental benefits it promises.

There is no national standard definition for "green power". The most commonly used set of definitions have been developed by the San Francisco-based Center for Resource Solutions for its Green-e certification program. The Green-e program utilizes regionally-based stakeholder processes to determine the nature of the renewable resources for which that region's stakeholders agree that an environmental premium is warranted.

The Green-e definitions and standards have been followed by generators to develop renewable electricity products that have been certified by Green-e. These standards have also been adopted by the national EPA Green Power Partnership. Any institution seeking recognition under that Partnership must ensure that the electricity they procure meets those standards.

For More Information

EPA - Clean Air Markets - Acid Rain
http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acidrain/

Green-e
http://www.green-e.org/

EPA Green Power Partnership
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/

Back to top ^

~ Home | Green Power | Products Available in Maine | About Us | Resources ~

Copyright © 2003
Maine Energy Investment Corporation