Our electricity
Unlike fossil fuels like coal and oil, electricity generated from renewable sources can be replenished again and again and again without doing any long-term harm to the environment, providing it’s managed properly. You’ve probably already heard of solar, wind, tidal and hydropower, but we also utilise energy from geothermal sources, which is power extracted from heat stored deep in the earth. We also use electricity generated by gas released from biomass, treatment plants and landfill sites. This last example is particularly important because it captures and uses methane, a gas that would otherwise harm the environment, because of the effect it has on global warming. In fact, it’s 20 times worse than CO2, making landfill gas generation an even better idea.
For the latest information on energy and the environment go to www.guardian.co.uk/environment/energy
