Energy Technologies

There are a number of technologies that provide us with energy without burning fossil fuels or generating greenhouse gases, and the pace of innovation in these technologies and the scope of their deployment has never been greater than it is today.

Solar heating (Direct Solar), solar electric (Photovoltaic or PV), wind power and hydroelectric power are all driven by energy coming in from the sun. Geothermal power taps energy from radioactive processes in the earth’s crust, and geothermal heating/cooling takes advantage of the fact that ground just a few feet beneath the surface is at a relatively constant temperature year-round.

Cogeneration is a method for getting more work out of fuel which is burned; and burning methane from landfills eliminates quantities of a gas with a greenhouse impact 20 times that of carbon dioxide.

Click on the drop-down menu for more information on these technologies and links to in-depth information on the Web. See our energy info links.