GeL 's Green IvIng newsIeLLer

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L Is undenIubIe LIuL eIecLrIcILy Is u necessILy oI duIIy IIIe. L Is pervusIve In everyLIIng we do, Irom runnIng our
uppIIunces Lo IIgILIng our Iomes Lo IueIIng our enLerLuInmenL und communIcuLIons wILI LIe ouLsIde worId.
UnIIke oLIer resources we consume, Iowever, LIe Lrue ImpucLs ure unseen. WIen you Lurn on LIe sLove, you Ieur LIe
sound oI LIe IIume; LurnIng on u Lup, cooI cIeur wuLer IIows ouL; buL eIecLrIcILy? n muny cuses, your uppIIunces sIL
LIere, connecLed und usIng power, wILIouL uny sIgn LIuL someLIIng Is IuppenIng.
Tens, Iundreds or even LIousunds oI mIIes uwuy, LIuL power Is comIng Irom somewIere. DependIng on wIere you
IIve, your eIecLrIcILy couId come Irom LIe dIrLIesL oI couI pIunLs, u IydroeIecLrIc dum LIuL doesn'L conLrIbuLe Lo
poIIuLIon buL reduces LIe nuLIve IIsI LIuL IIve In u rIver, or u LruIy renewubIe source oI energy sucI us wInd or VRODU
SRZHU. TIe ImpucLs uren`L us vIsIbIe or us IocuI us LIose Irom oLIer Iorms oI energy use, buL LIey cun be every bIL us
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04-Apr-12 http://www.lowimpactliving.com/pages/your-impacts/electricity1
Iurge. n cerLuIn ureus oI LIe counLry, LIe curbon dIoxIde emILLed by usIng eIecLrIcILy In LIe Iome cun exceed LIuL
produced by Lwo curs drIvIng 1z,ooo mIIes eucI.
To Ieurn ubouL LIe envIronmenLuI ImpucLs oI your eIecLrIc suppIy und Iow you cun reduce LIem, reud on.
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MosL eIecLrIcILy Is produced by usIng some IueI Lo Lurn Iurge generuLors connecLed Lo LurbInes. n LIe pusL, LIIs wus
done eILIer by burnIng u IossII IueI sucI us couI or oII Lo generuLe sLeum (wIIcI Lurned LIe LurbIne), or LurnIng LIe
LurbIne usIng movIng wuLer pussIng LIrougI u dum. AILer WorId Wur , pIunLs empIoyIng nucIeur reucLIons und
QDWXUDOJDV Lo produce sLeum were uIso buIIL.
Page 2 oI 6 Electricity and Power: Global Warming: Energy EIIiciency
04-Apr-12 http://www.lowimpactliving.com/pages/your-impacts/electricity1
More recenLIy, uLIIILIes Iuve InLroduced oLIer wuys Lo generuLe power. HIgI LecI wIndmIIIs generuLe eIecLrIcILy In
wIndy ureus, und vurIous kInds oI soIur power pIunLs Iuve been buIIL In sunny ureus. SoIur eIecLrIc pIunLs generuIIy
come In Lwo Lypes: some LIuL use LIe IeuL oI LIe sun Lo produce sLeum (und LIen Lurn LurbInes or oLIer generuLors),
und LIose LIuL dIrecLIy converL LIe sun's energy InLo eIecLrIcILy usIng pIoLovoILuIc ceIIs.
GeL more InIormuLIon on soIur pIoLovoILuIc, or PV
AnoLIer opLIon Ior generuLIng eIecLrIcILy Ius uIso emerged: dIsLrIbuLed, or seII-generuLIon. TIrougI LIIs modeI,
Iomeowners und busInesses InsLuII equIpmenL Lo generuLe eIecLrIcILy uL LIeIr own IocuLIon, und In some cuses even
seII LIe excess buck Lo LIe eIecLrIc uLIIILy. TIere ure muny LecInoIogIes uvuIIubIe Lo do LIIs, buL LIe mosL common ure
soIur PV, wInd LurbInes, und LIe use oI smuII nuLuruI-gus powered sysLems cuIIed mIcroLurbInes.
Toduy, uII oI LIese LecInoIogIes ure empIoyed Lo generuLe power ucross LIe US. MosL oI our power sLIII comes Irom
LIe LrudILIonuI burnIng oI IossII IueIs, wILI LIe IurgesL umounL comIng Irom LIe dIrLIesL source, couI (see cIurL uL IeIL)
1
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TIe prImury HQYLURQPHQWDOLPSDFW oI eIecLrIcILy consumpLIon Is LIe producLIon oI JUHHQKRXVHJDVHV LIuL
conLrIbuLe Lo JOREDOZDUPLQJ. n zooq, qo% oI LIe US LoLuI emIssIons oI greenIouse guses wus Irom eIecLrIcILy
generuLIon
z
, und % oI LIIs wus Irom resIdenLIuI use (IIgIer LIun LIe eIecLrIcILy-reIuLed greenIouse guses Irom
eILIer IndusLrIuI or commercIuI use). DoIng LIe muLI, LIIs meuns LIuL LIe eIecLrIcILy LIuL we consume In our Iouses
represenLs uImosL 1% oI LIe US LoLuI greenIouse gus emIssIons.
WIere you IIve In LIe counLry Is LIe key drIver oI Iow mucI greenIouse gus (prImurIIy curbon dIoxIde) you creuLe by
usIng eIecLrIcILy. n NorLI DukoLu, WyomIng und KenLucky, couI Is LIe prImury IueI used In generuLIng eIecLrIcILy. As
u resuIL, resIdenLs oI LIese sLuLes conLrIbuLe over z.z pounds oI curbon dIoxIde Ior every kIIowuLL-Iour oI eIecLrIcILy
used on uveruge. AssumIng LIe nuLIonuI uveruge Ior eIecLrIcILy use oI 1o,66 kWI u yeur, u IouseIoId In one oI LIese
sLuLes wouId emIL over 1o Lons oI curbon dIoxIde per yeur. or compurIson, LIIs Is us mucI us drIvIng u cur LIuL geLs
zo mpg u dIsLunce oI z,ooo mIIes - neurIy uround LIe worId.
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On LIe oLIer exLreme ure sLuLes IIke VermonL, duIo und WusIIngLon. TIese sLuLes reIy on eILIer nucIeur (VermonL)
or IydroeIecLrIc (duIo und WusIIngLon) power, und on uveruge produce Iess LIun o. pounds oI curbon dIoxIde per
kIIowuLL-Iour oI eIecLrIcILy - Iess LIun 1% oI LIuL produced by LIe sLuLes menLIoned eurIIer.
TIe ImpIIcuLIon Is LIuL wIere you IIve Is LIe key Lo decIdIng wIeLIer cuLLIng eIecLrIcILy use sIouId be u prIme sLep In
reducIng your ImpucL on gIobuI wurmIng. To IeIp, /RZ,PSDFW/LYLQJ Ius dIvIded sLuLes up InLo LIree cuLegorIes
dependIng on Iow mucI power generuLIon conLrIbuLes Lo gIobuI wurmIng. or reIerence, LIe US uveruge ucross A
power pIunLs Is 1.q pounds oI curbon dIoxIde per kWI oI eIecLrIcILy produced. n u yeur, LIe uveruge US IouseIoId
reIeuses us mucI curbon dIoxIde usIng eIecLrIcILy us LIey wouId drIvIng un SUV over 1z,ooo mIIes.
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1 ILLp:JJwww.eIu.doe.govJcneuIJeIecLrIcILyJepuJgeneruLIon_sLuLe.xIs
z ILLp:JJyosemILe.epu.govJourJgIobuIwurmIng.nsIJUnIqueKeyookupJRAMR6MBNNJ$IIeJo6Trends.pdI
puge 1 oI z nexL
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