By choosing an electricity supplier of so-called green electricity, you can live climate-smartly and support a sustainable future. In this article, we take a closer look at the concept of green electricity and a number of other climate-smart concepts.
What is green electricity?
Green electricity is a collective name for renewable and fossil-free electricity from solar, wind and hydropower. These three sources of energy originate from a common flowing resource – the sun’s radiation.
Why should I choose green electricity?
The energy from solar, wind and hydropower is free from harmful environmental emissions, dangerous residual products and is constantly renewed. Choosing renewable electricity means that you reduce your own environmental impact, while at the same time helping to increase the demand for more renewable energy.
Fossil-free Sweden
A few years ago, Sweden’s government produced a climate policy framework to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare state. The framework states that by 2040 we shall have electricity production that is 100% renewable and that by 2045 at the latest we shall have no net emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
To succeed in the goals, large societal investments are required where we switch from non-renewable energy production (fossil fuels and nuclear power). Today, almost half of Sweden’s electricity production comes from non-renewable sources.
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels is a collective name for coal, oil and natural gas. When these fuels are burned, energy is produced, but also extensive carbon dioxide emissions. Emissions from fossil fuels are the biggest contributor to global warming. Fossil fuels are also limited natural resources. They were formed in the Earth’s interior millions of years ago and will not be renewed in the foreseeable future.
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is based on the fuel uranium, which, like fossil fuels, is a limited natural resource. The production causes no carbon dioxide emissions, but waste in the form of life-threatening radioactive radiation. It takes tens of thousands of years for the waste to disappear and, for lack of a better solution, it is buried for future generations to take care of.
Green electricity provides a better life for people, without burdening the environment
Far too many people today live in poor conditions. Their standard of living needs to increase and then access to electricity is a crucial part. On the other hand, we cannot afford for the total global climate impact to increase. In order for poverty to be able to be reduced in a sustainable manner in the long term, rapid and extensive expansion of renewable energy is therefore required.
By choosing environmentally friendly electricity, you are helping to support the expansion of more renewable electricity, so that future generations can also meet their needs.
Is renewable electricity more expensive than fossil electricity?
No, the development of renewable energy sources is happening at a rapid pace and is becoming increasingly cost-effective. Today, it is cheaper to build new renewable power plants than to invest in fossil energy. Thus, the price of electricity from renewable sources is at the same, or many times lower, level than electricity from fossil combustion.
