Energy Solutions Are More Renewable

RPA Energy is a renewable energy supplier that aims to provide customers with comprehensive energy plans that fulfill their needs in a way that is both environmentally-friendly and affordable. Companies concerned with renewable energy like RPA Energy are at the forefront of research and discussion as to what makes energy truly ‘renewable,’ as the definition of green energy changes the options such companies can offer consumers.

The term ‘renewable energy’ is well-known in the mainstream but the exact definition of renewable is debatable and not always obvious. The basic definition of renewability that most scientists and energy companies operate on is simply that the carbon produced by the process is absorbed into the biosphere (i.e. the parts of Earth where life exists) rather than the atmosphere (which would accelerate climate change). However, this definition does not account for how long it takes for carbon to be absorbed, which creates a grey area that some forms of supposedly renewable energy sources sit in.

While burning wood biomass releases less carbon than burning coal, it is pertinent to consider the timeframe in which it takes to reabsorb that carbon and replace the harvested trees. A tree planted to replace one that has been cut down might take 50 to 100 years to grow, and burning a tree to make coal makes more carbon per kilogram than fuel. Energy sources such as hydro or solar power do not have this flaw, making it all the more important for consumers to choose their energy supplier carefully if they want to go green.

The Role of Renewable Energy in Carbon

RPA Energy provides energy products derived completely from renewable sources to customers in seven states. Part of RPA Energy’s mission is to increase access to sustainable energy to help reduce greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide.

Concerns over rising global temperatures due to high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have driven the development of renewable infrastructures, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy plants. Many countries have pledged to lower their carbon emissions within the next few decades and have heavily invested in sustainable energy. As of 2017, nearly a quarter of the world’s power production is derived from renewables.

Since the cost of solar and wind infrastructure has also dropped considerably, renewable energy is becoming more popular with consumers. While a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency projects that renewable energy grids can reduce CO2 emissions by 70 percent within the next 30 years, converting to sustainable energy sources is not a cure-all. Economies with the highest rates of energy consumption must also focus on energy efficiency to achieve carbon neutrality.

Green Power vs. Conventional vs. Renewable Energy

RPA Energy is an energy solutions provider with a strong emphasis on top-tier customer service. One-hundred percent of the energy distributed by RPA Energy is green energy, which contrasts starkly with conventional energy production, and even from renewable energy.

Conventional power generation is typically understood to be energy from the combustion of fossil fuels and nuclear power. In other words, it uses fuel sources that are by their very nature exhaustible in the short term.

Renewable energy, on the other hand, relies on fuel sources that can be restored in the short term and don’t deplete in the same way conventional sources do. These include solar power, aeolic energy, and geothermal energy.

Green energy is a subcategory of renewable energy which adds the discriminatory factor of using technologies focused on environmental benefit. Typically, this means energy produced with zero emissions and a net negative carbon footprint. In some ways, renewable energy can be thought of as trying to do less harm to the environment, while green energy is about actively producing a benefit.