The industrial and commercial players are increasingly becoming a part of the “go green bandwagon.” The motivation for this paradigm shift to clean energy could be cost-cutting, pressure from regulatory mandates, or the desire to be more socially responsible. This has called for an increasing demand for renewable energy sources in the commercial sector; as a result of which, companies are looking at the latest and most innovative sources to implement into their business processes.
Bio-energy
What is it: Bioenergy is a type of renewable energy that is derived from biomass, i.e., any organic matter coming from plants or animals that had been living recently. This is mainly used to create heat and electricity or for the production of LPG (Ethanol and Biodiesel). Although bioenergy releases almost the same amount of carbon dioxide as compared to fossil fuels, environment neutrality is maintained through the replacement plants that are grown as biomass to remove a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How companies can use it: The usage of bioenergy by companies depends on the operations they undertake, some of the ways this renewable energy can be incorporated into your business are –
- Switch over to fleet vehicles that use bioenergy as fuel
- Equip manufacturing facilities to burn biomass directly; the steam produced can be captured by a turbine to generate electricity
- Waste from livestock in farm operations can be used to generate electricity using small modular systems
Geothermal
What is it: This type of renewable energy or clean energy is derived from the heat of the earth. The geothermal plants use heat that is sourced either from heating rocks or reservoirs of underground hot water to generate electricity.
How companies can use it: Geothermal energy can be used by companies on a large scale. Here are some of its uses for a business organization:
- Heating office buildings or manufacturing plants
- Facilitates the growth of greenhouse plants
- Water at fish farms can be heated
- Aiding several industrial processes; g., pasteurization of milk
Solar Energy
What is it: Solar energy is the renewable energy source derived from sunlight. Photo-voltaic systems using solar cells are used to convert sunlight into electricity.
How companies can use it: Business entities have a wide range of opportunities to exploit using solar energy –
- Solar energy can be incorporated into the organization’s cooling, water-heating, and ventilation systems to cut down costs
- Solar energy can be used to power agricultural and manufacturing operations
- Companies can incorporate solar power transportation and save money
Wind Energy:
What is it: Wind is a renewable source of energy that is harnessed from capturing the wind flow into turbines and converting it into electricity.
How companies can use it: Wind energy is one of the most sustainable sources of energy for a business to cut its electricity costs.
- Can be used by organizations to substitute their existing electrical supply
- The large farms can be converted for using wind energy alongside regular farming; this helps them to use this energy for personal purpose as well as gain more money by leasing them out
