Green electricity is power generated from renewable, environmentally friendly sources, as opposed to grey electricity from fossil fuels. Its generation emits little or no CO₂ and does not deplete finite resources.
Sources of green electricity
- Solar energy — PV panels that convert sunlight into electricity
- Wind energy — wind turbines on land and offshore
- Hydropower — energy from flowing water and tides
- Biomass — burning or digesting organic material (with caveats about sustainability)
Importance for construction
Green electricity plays a central role in sustainable and energy-neutral building:
- Energy label — the share of renewable energy counts towards a building’s energy performance
- Net-zero energy — homes that generate as much sustainable energy as they use, often with their own PV panels
- Electrification — heat pumps, induction cooking and electric driving are only truly sustainable on green electricity
- Site power — increasingly the construction site, too, is supplied with green electricity
Points to watch
Not all “green electricity” is equally sustainable: its origin and the way it is certified (guarantees of origin) determine how clean the power really is. Locally generated solar and wind energy is usually the most transparent.
Related Terms
- Grey electricity
- Sustainable building
- Energy label
- Net-zero energy
- Renewable energy
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