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| Energy sources World wide, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are by far the most important energy sources to produce electricity. The supplies of this feedstock are limited and the production process causes environmental damage. The main problem is the greenhouse effect, caused by the emission of carbon dioxide, CO2, which is emitted during the combustion of the fossil fuels. Also nuclear energy makes use of the limited supply of uranium and causes environmental problems. Renewable energy sources use the cycles of nature. Hydropower, solar and wind energy don't cause direct carbon dioxide emissions. The emission of carbon dioxide with the energy production from biomass (energy from organic material) is compensated by the uptake of CO2 by plants in equal amounts as emitted. Also terrestrial heat and tidal energy can be used for the electricity production. Electricity generation from cogeneration and waste combustion plants can bring important environmental benefits compared to conventional power production. When these processes use fossil fuels, we speak of energy saving. When biomass is used, we speak of renewable energy sources. Wind energy The power of the wind can be used with wind generators: the wind moves the blade of the rotor and the rotation is converted to electricity in a generator. Good locations for wind turbines are generally on the edge of the sea, but there are several good inland locations as well. 
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Solar power Solar cells convert the light of the sun to electricity directly. The modules can be mounted anywhere where the sune shines: on roofs and facades facing south or on flat roofs. No rotating or moving parts are used for the energy conversion so the generation of electricity takes place quietly and does hardly need maintenance.
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Hydropower Moving water can be used with turbines or water wheels to generate electricity. With the exception of run-of-river plants, large dams with reservoirs are necessary to make the power of the water usable. These dams represent an environmental barrier which is why hardly new hydro power plants are installed.
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Biomass Biomass is the term for all material containing energy and created by living beings: plant matter or the excrements of humans and animals. The CO2 (carbon dioxide) produced in the combustion is taken up by the next generation of trees and plants. Biomass can be used directly or after refining them to oil or gas products which can be used to replace fossil fuels.
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Cogeneration (CHP) Combined production of heat and power uses the larger part of the energy contained in fuels while regular power plants only convert a small portion of the fuel energy to electricity while the rest is emitted to the ambient in form of heat at low level.
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Waste combustion In the combustion of waste, the biomass portion of the waste is also used. This share is regarded as green energy in some countries and some suppliers, since this biomass replaces fossil fuels in the combustion process. This does not account for the environmental impact caused by the emissions of such plants.
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Conventional electricity Most electricity is still generated from fossil fuels or nuclear energy: lignite, coal, gas, oil or uranium are the conventional energy sources and the resources are limited. The environmental impacts are treated in 'What is green energy'. In addition to this, the energy generation form these energy sources takes place in large-scale power plants which use only a small porion of the energy contained in the energy carrier to convert it to electricity and give the rest of the energy as heat to the environment.
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