What is clean energy and how can we get it?

Energy is needed to run everything – from the human body – to large factories. The production of energy for commercial and public usage has always been a difficult matter since it requires such huge scale and there are often harmful by-products. On October 2, 2021, the news said that the UAE government has committed to invest $75 billion in India on clean energy projects through solar power. We keep hearing about how energy is polluting the Earth, and also how clean energy is badly needed. That is what we are going to discuss today.  

What is meant by clean energy?  
When energy is generated from renewable, emission-free sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, it is called clean energy. Even generating it has to happen through energy efficient means. Green energy is energy derived from natural sources. There is a difference between these two terms, though they are related.  

What are the sources of clean energy? 
The sources of clean energy are constantly replenished, and do not run out like fossil fuels and gas. Examples of clean energy sources are wind, water and solar energy. Many argue that water or hydropower is a clean source which is not green, because it involves deforestation and industrialisation wherever dams or even individual turbines are constructed.  

How do renewable sources of energy remain ‘clean’? 
Clean energy produces power without negative environmental impacts, such as releasing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. They also preserve natural resources, reduce the risk of environmental disasters such as fuel spills, mine flooding or gas leaks. Clean energy, in short, does not add to an already polluted ecology. In contrast, coal, oil and gas add pollutants while being extracted and again when they are used.  

Why is clean energy the energy of the future?  
Clean energy is called the energy source of the future. Humans have been mining for coal, oil and natural gas for centuries. We have to face that these are killing our atmosphere, upsetting the ecological balance, and piling up too many natural disasters. We will never run out of clean energy. So the faster we turn toward these sources, the better it is for us.