What is Clean Energy? What is clean energy charging

Clean energy refers to energy that comes from renewable, zero-emissions sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures. It encompasses a variety of sources that generate electricity or power without contributing to climate change or significantly impacting the environment, especially in comparison to traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. Key forms of clean energy include:

1. Solar Power: Energy from the sun is captured and converted into electricity using photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar-thermal systems.
2. Wind Power: Wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity. It’s one of the most efficient forms of clean energy.
3. Hydroelectric Power: Energy produced from moving water, typically generated by dams on large rivers, converting the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water into electricity.
4. Geothermal Energy: Utilizes the heat from the earth’s interior to generate electricity and to heat and cool buildings directly.
5. Biomass: Organic material from plants and animals (including wood, agricultural crops, and waste) can be used to produce energy – electricity, heat, or transportation fuels. It’s considered clean when it’s used sustainably and when the carbon dioxide emitted from its combustion is offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants during their growth.
6. Ocean Energy: Includes both tidal energy and wave energy, which use the movement of water to generate electricity.

Energy efficiency, while not a source of energy itself, is also a crucial component of the clean energy landscape. It involves using technology and practices to reduce energy consumption and waste in homes, businesses, and transportation, thereby reducing the overall demand for energy and the need for energy production from polluting sources.

Transitioning to clean energy sources is seen as critical for combating climate change, reducing air pollution, and achieving sustainable development goals.

Features of each type clean energy

Solar power is a form of clean, renewable energy that harnesses sunlight to generate electricity. There are two main technologies used to convert solar energy into electricity: Photovoltaic (PV) systems and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems.

Photovoltaic (PV) Systems

• How They Work: PV systems use solar panels composed of many solar cells made of semiconductor materials (like silicon). When sunlight hits these cells, it causes electrons to become excited and move, creating an electric current.
• Applications: PV systems can be installed at various scales, from small rooftop setups on homes or businesses to large utility-scale solar farms. They’re versatile, can be integrated into building materials (like solar shingles), and can power anything from small gadgets to entire neighborhoods.
• Advantages: PV systems are silent, have no moving parts, and require relatively low maintenance. They can be installed almost anywhere sunlight is available and are becoming increasingly efficient and affordable.

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Systems

• How They Work: CSP systems use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area. The concentrated light is converted to heat, which then can be used to produce steam to drive a turbine that generates electricity.
• Applications: CSP is typically used in large power plants and can include systems like parabolic troughs, power towers, and dish engines. CSP plants are usually built in areas with a high amount of direct sunlight, such as deserts.
• Advantages: CSP can incorporate thermal energy storage systems, allowing for electricity generation even when the sun is not shining, providing a more consistent and reliable power source compared to PV systems alone.

Advantages of Solar Power

• Renewable: Solar power is abundant and inexhaustible over human timescales, unlike fossil fuels.
• Clean: It produces no greenhouse gases or pollutants during operation, contributing to a reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Versatile: Solar installations can be deployed in a variety of locations, including urban areas, remote regions, and even in water bodies with floating solar panels.

Challenges and Considerations

• Intermittency: Solar power is subject to diurnal and seasonal variations and is affected by weather conditions, necessitating energy storage solutions or backup systems for continuous power supply.
• Land Use: Large solar farms require significant amounts of land, which could compete with other land uses or impact natural habitats.
• Resource Use and Waste: Manufacturing solar panels involves the use of materials like silicon, metals, and sometimes rare elements, and the industry faces challenges related to recycling old panels and managing their lifecycle sustainably.

Solar power is a cornerstone of the global transition to renewable energy, with rapid advancements in technology and decreasing costs fueling its growth. It’s integral to achieving climate goals and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

Wind power is a form of clean, renewable energy generated by converting the kinetic energy of wind into electricity using wind turbines. It’s one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world and plays a crucial role in the global transition to renewable energy.

How Wind Power Works

• Wind Turbines: These are the most visible component of wind power. A typical wind turbine consists of a tower, blades (usually three), a nacelle (housing the generator and gearbox), and a rotor that the blades attach to. When wind blows, it turns the blades, which spin the rotor connected to a generator, producing electricity.
• Wind Farms: Individual turbines can be grouped into wind farms, which can be located on land (onshore) or at sea (offshore). Offshore wind farms can harness stronger and more consistent winds but are more expensive and technically challenging to build and maintain.

Types of Wind Turbines

• Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs): These are the most common type, with the main rotor shaft and generator located at the top of a tower, and must be pointed into the wind. Small turbines are pointed by a simple wind vane, while large turbines generally use a wind sensor coupled with a servo motor.
• Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs): Less common, these turbines have a vertical rotor shaft. Advantages include not needing to be pointed into the wind, which can be beneficial in areas where wind direction varies greatly.

Advantages of Wind Power

• Renewable and Abundant: Wind is a plentiful resource that regenerates naturally and is inexhaustible on a human timescale.
• Clean: Wind power produces no emissions during operation, making it a key technology in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change.
• Cost-Effective: The cost of wind power has decreased significantly, making it one of the most competitive sources of renewable energy in many regions.
• Land Use Efficiency: Onshore wind farms can coexist with agriculture or grazing, and offshore wind farms can be situated in ways that minimally impact marine environments.

Challenges and Considerations

• Intermittency and Variability: Wind power generation is subject to the variability of wind, which can be unpredictable and inconsistent, requiring integration with other forms of energy generation or storage systems to ensure a reliable electricity supply.
• Environmental and Community Impact: While generally environmentally friendly, wind farms can have impacts on local wildlife (notably birds and bats) and raise aesthetic and noise concerns among local communities.
• Infrastructure and Transmission: Developing wind power can require significant investment in infrastructure, including upgrades to the electrical grid to accommodate variable renewable energy inputs.

Future of Wind Power

The future of wind power looks promising, with ongoing technological advancements improving the efficiency, reliability, and environmental footprint of wind turbines. Innovations such as floating offshore wind turbines are opening up new areas for development, especially in deep waters where traditional bottom-fixed installations are not feasible. As wind power continues to grow, it will be an essential component of the world’s energy mix, helping to meet global energy demand sustainably and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Hydroelectric power is a form of clean, renewable energy generated by harnessing the kinetic energy of flowing or falling water to produce electricity. It’s one of the oldest and most established forms of renewable energy, with facilities ranging from small to large scales globally.

How Hydroelectric Power Works

The basic principle involves directing water flow through turbines, which spin as the water passes through, driving a generator to produce electricity. The process can be summarized in the following steps:

1. Water Collection: Water is collected in reservoirs, often created by damming rivers. These reservoirs store large amounts of water and control its release through the dam.
2. Energy Conversion: When released, the water flows through turbines, converting potential energy from the stored water into kinetic energy and then into mechanical energy as the turbines spin.
3. Electricity Generation: The spinning turbines drive generators, which convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Types of Hydroelectric Power Plants

• Impoundment Plants: These are the most common type and involve storing river water in a reservoir behind a dam. Electricity is generated when water is released from the reservoir, flowing through turbines.
• Diversion (Run-of-River) Plants: These facilities channel a portion of a river’s flow through a canal or penstock but may not require a large dam and reservoir. They depend more on river flow and have less capacity to store water.
• Pumped-Storage Plants: These act like a battery, pumping water to a higher reservoir when power demand is low and then releasing it back into a lower reservoir through turbines to generate electricity when demand is high.

Advantages of Hydroelectric Power

• Renewable: Hydroelectric power uses the Earth’s water cycle, which is naturally replenished, making it a sustainable energy source.
• Low Operating Costs: Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces electricity at a very low cost due to the absence of fuel costs and low maintenance requirements.
• Clean: It produces electricity without burning fossil fuels, thus not emitting greenhouse gases or air pollutants during operation.
• Flexible: Hydroelectric plants can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in electricity demand and stabilizing the electrical grid.

Challenges and Considerations

• Environmental Impact: The construction of dams and reservoirs can have significant environmental impacts, including altering river ecosystems, displacing communities, and affecting local wildlife and fish populations.
• High Initial Costs: The construction of hydroelectric power plants, especially large dams, requires substantial investment and long development times.
• Geographical Limitations: Suitable sites for hydroelectric dams are limited to areas with adequate water flow and topographical conditions that allow for dam construction and reservoir storage.
• Climate Change Vulnerability: Hydroelectric power generation is dependent on precipitation and water availability, making it vulnerable to changes in weather patterns and water cycles due to climate change.

Despite these challenges, hydroelectric power remains a crucial part of the global renewable energy mix, offering reliable, low-carbon electricity, especially in regions with favorable topographical and hydrological conditions. Future developments in hydroelectric power focus on minimizing environmental impacts, improving efficiency, and integrating with other renewable energy sources to create a more sustainable and resilient energy system.

Geothermal energy harnesses the Earth’s internal heat to generate electricity and provide heating and cooling solutions. It’s a clean, sustainable energy source that is available 24/7, regardless of weather conditions, making it a reliable component of the renewable energy mix.

How Geothermal Energy Works

The Earth’s core, which is about as hot as the sun’s surface, heats the surrounding layers of rock and water. In some areas, this heat is close enough to the surface to be accessible and can be used in various ways:

• Direct Use and Heating: Hot water from the Earth can be used directly for heating buildings, greenhouses, fish farms, and industrial processes. This usually involves pumping hot water or steam from the ground and distributing it through a heat exchanger or directly into buildings.
• Electricity Generation: There are three main types of geothermal power plants, all of which convert geothermal heat into electricity but use different methods to capture steam and hot water from the ground:
  • Dry Steam Plants take advantage of natural steam from the Earth to drive turbines.
  • Flash Steam Plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler, low-pressure water. The sudden drop in pressure causes some of the hot water to turn into steam, which then drives a turbine.
  • Binary Cycle Power Plants transfer the heat from geothermal hot water to another liquid that boils at a lower temperature than water. This secondary liquid turns to steam and drives the turbines.
• Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs): Used for heating and cooling individual buildings or complexes, GHPs take advantage of the constant temperatures just below the Earth’s surface. In winter, they transfer heat from the ground into buildings, and in summer, they can reverse the process, cooling buildings by transferring excess heat back into the ground.

Advantages of Geothermal Energy

• Reliability: Geothermal energy provides a constant energy output, unlike solar and wind energy, which are dependent on weather conditions.
• Sustainability: It’s a renewable resource that can last for billions of years, as long as the Earth exists.
• Low Emissions: Geothermal power plants emit very few greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuel power plants.
• Small Footprint: Geothermal facilities typically require less land per MW than many other energy sources, particularly wind and solar.

Challenges and Considerations

• Location Specific: The most accessible and economical geothermal resources are found in areas with volcanic activity, hot springs, and tectonic plate boundaries, limiting geographic availability.
• High Initial Costs: Exploration and drilling to access geothermal resources can be expensive and risky, with no guarantee of finding viable resources.
• Environmental Concerns: While cleaner than fossil fuels, geothermal energy can have some environmental impacts, including the release of greenhouse gases trapped beneath the Earth’s surface and the potential for surface instability or earthquakes in some cases.

Future of Geothermal Energy

Advancements in geothermal technology, such as Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), which involve creating geothermal reservoirs in areas where hot rock is available but water is scarce, could expand the potential for geothermal energy. These technologies aim to make geothermal energy more widely available, reducing dependency on specific geographic characteristics and further contributing to global renewable energy goals.

Biomass energy involves using organic materials derived from plants and animals to produce electricity, heat, and transportation fuels. It is considered a renewable resource because the energy stored in biomass comes from the sun, and through the process of photosynthesis, plants convert sunlight into chemical energy. When biomass is burned or biochemically converted to energy, it releases this stored energy, making it a versatile and widely used source of renewable energy.

Sources of Biomass

Biomass encompasses a broad range of materials, including:

• Wood and Wood Waste: Logs, chips, bark, and sawdust from forests, wood processing factories, and timber industries.
• Agricultural Crops and Waste: Materials like corn stalks, straw, seed husks, and fruit pits.
• Energy Crops: Special crops grown specifically for energy production, such as switchgrass, miscanthus, and fast-growing trees like willow and poplar.
• Animal Manure and Human Waste: Organic waste that can be processed into bioenergy.
• Algae: A fast-growing source of biomass, which can be processed into biofuels and other chemical compounds.

Methods of Biomass Energy Production

• Direct Combustion: Burning biomass in furnaces or boilers to produce heat, which can be used directly or converted into electricity through steam turbines.
• Anaerobic Digestion: Using microorganisms to break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas (mainly methane and carbon dioxide), which can be burned for heat and electricity.
• Fermentation: Converting biomass into ethanol, a liquid fuel, through fermentation, commonly used for transportation fuels.
• Gasification and Pyrolysis: These thermal processes convert biomass into syngas (a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and other gases) or bio-oil, which can be used for power generation or as a feedstock for producing various chemicals.

Advantages of Biomass Energy

• Renewable: Biomass can be replenished through the cultivation of energy crops and the recycling of organic waste.
• Carbon Neutral: Ideally, the carbon dioxide released during biomass combustion is offset by the CO2 absorbed by the plants during their growth, making the process carbon-neutral. However, this balance can vary based on the source of biomass and how it is harvested and processed.
• Waste Reduction: Using organic waste materials for energy can reduce landfill use and methane emissions from decomposition.
• Versatility: Biomass can be used for a wide range of energy needs, including heating, electricity generation, and as a source for biofuels for transportation.

Challenges and Considerations

• Environmental Impact: Unsustainable harvesting of biomass can lead to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and soil erosion. The energy balance and carbon neutrality of biomass can also be negative if the full lifecycle of cultivation, processing, and transportation is not managed sustainably.
• Efficiency and Cost: Some biomass energy processes are less efficient and more costly compared to fossil fuels and other renewable energy sources. Improvements in technology and economies of scale are needed to make biomass more competitive.
• Land Use: Growing energy crops can compete with food production for land and water resources, potentially driving up food prices and impacting food security.

Biomass energy plays a significant role in the global renewable energy mix, especially in regions with abundant biomass resources. Its future potential depends on technological advancements, sustainable management practices, and integration with other renewable energy sources to ensure environmental and economic sustainability

Tidal Energy

Tidal energy is generated by capturing the energy from the natural rise and fall of the earth’s tides. There are two main types of tidal energy technologies:

• Tidal Stream Generators: These work similarly to underwater wind turbines, using the kinetic energy of moving water to turn turbines, which then generate electricity. They are placed in areas with strong tidal currents.
• Tidal Barrages: These are essentially dams built across the entrance of a tidal basin. They have sluices that allow the tide to flow into the basin and turbines that generate electricity as water is released.

Wave Energy

Wave energy is produced from the surface movements of the sea. Various technologies convert the energy of waves into electricity, including:

• Point Absorbers: Buoy-like structures that move with the waves, and this motion is converted into electricity.
• Oscillating Water Columns: Structures that trap air above a column of water; as waves pass, the column moves up and down, forcing the air through a turbine.
• Attenuators: Long, multi-segmented floating structures aligned parallel to the wave direction, flexing at the joints with the waves. This motion is used to generate electricity.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

OTEC exploits the temperature difference between warmer surface water and colder deep seawater to generate electricity, typically using a heat exchanger to boil a fluid with a low boiling point, which then drives a turbine.

Salinity Gradient (Blue Energy)

This form of ocean energy is generated from the difference in salt concentration between seawater and freshwater. Technologies like pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) and reverse electrodialysis (RED) are used to harness this energy.

Advantages of Ocean Energy

• Renewable and Abundant: The ocean is a vast and untapped energy resource with the potential to provide a significant portion of global energy needs.
• Predictable: Unlike solar and wind energy, tidal patterns and wave characteristics can be predicted far in advance, making ocean energy a reliable energy source.
• Low Environmental Impact: Ocean energy devices generally have a low visual impact and limited emissions during operation.

Challenges and Considerations

• Technological and Economic Challenges: Many ocean energy technologies are still in the development or demonstration phases and have not yet been deployed at a large commercial scale. High costs and technical challenges associated with operating in harsh marine environments are significant barriers.
• Environmental and Marine Use Concerns: There are concerns about the potential impacts on marine ecosystems, including effects on marine life habitats, navigation, and local fishing activities. Comprehensive environmental impact assessments are needed to address these concerns.
• Infrastructure and Grid Integration: Developing the necessary infrastructure for ocean energy, including transmission lines from offshore sites to the mainland grid, poses logistical and economic challenges.

Despite these challenges, ocean energy has the potential to play a crucial role in the global renewable energy mix, particularly in regions with favorable marine conditions. Continued research, development, and supportive policies are essential to advance ocean energy technologies and reduce costs, paving the way for broader adoption.

“Clean energy charging” is a concept that has gained traction particularly in the context of electric vehicles (EVs) and portable electronic devices, like smartphones and laptops. It refers to the practice of charging these devices using electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass, instead of electricity produced from fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas.

In Electric Vehicles

For electric vehicles, clean energy charging means that the electricity used to charge the batteries comes from renewable sources. This can be achieved in several ways:

• Direct Connection to Renewable Sources: Installing solar panels or wind turbines at home or at charging stations to provide direct renewable power for charging.
• Green Energy Plans: Consumers can subscribe to green energy plans from their utility providers, ensuring that the electricity they use for charging, even if not directly generated from renewables, is offset by renewable energy fed into the grid elsewhere.
• Smart Charging: This involves optimizing the charging of EVs for times when the grid is most supplied by renewable energy, usually when demand is low and renewable energy availability is high.

In Portable Electronics

For portable electronics like smartphones and laptops, clean energy charging involves using renewable energy to power the devices. This can be achieved through:

• Personal Solar Chargers: Small-scale solar chargers for devices are becoming more popular for on-the-go charging.
• Renewable Energy-Powered Outlets: Using electricity from renewable sources at home or in public spaces to charge devices.
• Energy Management Software: Some devices and apps now offer features that optimize charging times to match periods when the grid is greener.

Benefits of Clean Energy Charging

• Reduced Carbon Footprint: Charging with renewable energy significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with the use of electric vehicles and electronic devices.
• Support for Renewables: Increased demand for clean energy charging can spur further investment in renewable energy infrastructure.
• Energy Independence: Using localized sources of renewable energy for charging can reduce dependence on the grid and fossil fuels, enhancing energy security.

Challenges

• Availability: Access to renewable energy sources can be limited based on geographic location, infrastructure, and economic factors.
• Cost: Initial setup costs for renewable energy systems (like solar panels) can be high, although they tend to pay off in the long run.
• Intermittency: Renewable energy availability can be intermittent (e.g., solar power is not available at night), requiring storage solutions or grid connections to ensure reliable charging.

Clean energy charging is an evolving area, with ongoing advancements in technology, energy storage, and grid management making it increasingly feasible and efficient. It’s an integral part of the broader shift towards sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of our energy use.

Clean energy fuels are energy sources that emit little to no pollutants compared to conventional fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. The use of clean energy fuels is crucial in mitigating climate change, reducing air and water pollution, and promoting sustainable development. Here’s an overview of some prominent clean energy fuels:

Electricity from Renewable Sources

Electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal is considered a clean energy fuel when used to power electric vehicles (EVs), homes, and businesses. The generation process emits little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen, particularly when produced via green methods like electrolysis using renewable electricity, is a clean fuel. It can be used in fuel cells to produce electricity with water vapor as the only emission. Hydrogen is promising for transportation, especially in heavy-duty and long-range applications, and in industries that are hard to electrify.

Biomass and Biofuels

Biomass-derived fuels, including bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas, can be clean energy fuels when produced and used sustainably. Bioethanol, made from fermenting crops like corn and sugarcane, can replace or be blended with gasoline. Biodiesel, derived from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases, can be used in diesel engines. Biogas, produced from organic waste through anaerobic digestion, can generate electricity and heat or be purified to biomethane for use as a fuel.

Synthetic Fuels

Synthetic fuels, or e-fuels, are produced by capturing carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere or industrial sources) and combining it with hydrogen produced from renewable energy. This process creates liquid fuels that are compatible with existing fuel infrastructure and internal combustion engines but are carbon-neutral when the carbon intensity of the power used in their production is low or zero.

Natural Gas

While not entirely clean, natural gas is often considered a “bridge fuel” because it burns cleaner than coal and oil, emitting fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases. However, its extraction and transportation can result in methane leaks, a potent greenhouse gas, which can negate some of its environmental benefits.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is sometimes included in discussions about clean energy due to its low direct greenhouse gas emissions during electricity generation. However, concerns about radioactive waste, potential for catastrophic failures, and high costs often exclude it from the renewable energy category.

Advantages of Clean Energy Fuels

• Reduced Environmental Impact: Lower emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants, contributing to cleaner air and water and combating climate change.
• Sustainable: Many clean energy fuels are renewable, offering a sustainable alternative to depleting fossil fuel resources.
• Energy Security: Diversifying energy sources can reduce dependence on imported fuels and enhance energy security.

Challenges

• Infrastructure and Cost: Transitioning to clean energy fuels often requires new infrastructure and can be initially more expensive than traditional fossil fuels.
• Energy Density and Storage: Some clean fuels, like hydrogen, have issues related to energy density and storage, requiring technological advancements for widespread use.
• Sustainability Concerns: The sustainability of biomass and biofuels depends on factors like land use, water use, and the energy balance of their production and use.

The transition to clean energy fuels is a crucial part of global efforts to achieve a sustainable energy future, requiring ongoing technological innovation, policy support, and investment.

FAQs

Natural gas is often marketed as a cleaner alternative to other fossil fuels like coal and oil due to its lower carbon dioxide emissions when burned. When combusted, natural gas produces about half as much carbon dioxide as coal and about 30% less than oil for the same energy output. It also emits lower levels of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter, contributing to better air quality compared to coal and oil.

However, labeling natural gas as “clean energy” is subject to debate due to several factors:

Methane Emissions

Natural gas is primarily composed of methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas that has a much higher global warming potential than CO2 over a 20-year period. Leaks and releases of methane during extraction (fracking and conventional drilling), processing, transportation, and distribution of natural gas contribute significantly to its greenhouse gas footprint. These methane emissions can negate some of the climate benefits of its lower CO2 emissions when burned.

Lifecycle Emissions

While natural gas burns cleaner than coal and oil, its entire lifecycle from extraction to end-use must be considered when evaluating its environmental impact. The extraction process, particularly hydraulic fracturing (fracking), has been associated with environmental concerns, including water use and contamination, air pollution, and induced seismic activity.

Role in the Energy Transition

Natural gas is often referred to as a “bridge fuel” in the transition from high-carbon energy sources like coal and oil to renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro. It can provide a more reliable and flexible power generation option to complement intermittent renewable sources due to its ability to quickly ramp up and down in response to fluctuations in energy demand and renewable supply.

Climate Goals

While natural gas can play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the short to medium term, especially when replacing coal in electricity generation, reliance on natural gas can also pose risks to long-term climate goals. Investments in natural gas infrastructure could lock in carbon emissions for decades, potentially hindering the transition to zero-carbon renewable energy sources.

In summary, while natural gas is cleaner-burning than other fossil fuels, calling it “clean energy” overlooks the broader environmental and climate impacts associated with its production and use. The focus is increasingly on reducing dependence on all fossil fuels, including natural gas, in favor of a more rapid transition to truly clean and renewable energy sources to meet global climate targets.