Clean energy is quickly becoming cheaper as well as increasingly popular, especially as an alternative to power generated from dirty energy sources, like coal or methane gas. But what makes clean energy safer than power from dirty energy sources?
What exactly makes clean energy 'cleaner'?'
Clean energy is energy that is generated from natural sources like the sun, the wind, and the water. This type of energy is considered to be clean because it does not produce harmful carbon pollution.
And because clean energy is also renewable, it can be used over and over again without depleting too many resources or adding more planet-warming pollution to the atmosphere. These two factors make it a much more sustainable option than other forms of energy.
Dirty energy is generated from depletable sources such as coal, oil, and gas. And when these substances are burned, they produce harmful air pollution that is responsible for one in five premature deaths worldwide, as well as the overheating of the planet.
Can you get clean energy in your home?
It is extremely common to have dirty energy powering your home. And while we are finding out more about how using dirty energy inside a house can worsen your air quality, soon it'll be much easier to swap in cleaner and cheaper energy.
To make the swap, many homeowners are now installing solar panels on their roofs to generate their own electricity.
Renters and those who can't afford the upfront costs of solar installation can buy into a community solar project that allows people and their neighbors to get energy from a nearby solar farm. Companies like Arcadia can help with these logistics.
Sometimes your solar panels can produce so much clean energy that you can actually make money by selling power back to the grid, all while reducing pollution at the same time.
And now, thanks to the newly passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), homeowners can get tax credits and rebates for installing more clean and energy-efficient technologies, like heat pumps, induction stoves, and solar panels, which can seriously reduce your energy bills.
To see how much money you could get in rebates or credits from the IRA, you can use this savings calculator.
Because of these financial incentives, now is the best and cheapest time to start running your home on clean energy to help your wallet and the planet.
Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
