What is the difference between clean, green, and renewable energy?

Renewable energy, green energy, clean energy… With so much attention being paid to sustainability and protecting our planet, it can be difficult to keep all these terms straight. To help you get started, we’ll explain below the similarities and differences between these three important sustainability terms.

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is, in essence, energy generated from a source that is continuously replenished. In theory, this source will never run out. It is therefore a much more environmentally friendly and efficient solution than non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels and natural gas. Moreover, these latter substances harm the atmosphere.
Renewable energy comes from natural sources and includes, for example, energy from wind turbines and solar panels.

What is green energy?

Green energy is energy from natural sources such as wind, water, and sunlight. You might be wondering: Isn’t green energy the same as renewable energy? Most green energy sources are indeed also renewable sources, but not all renewable energy is green. That’s the difference.
Some might also argue that hydropower is renewable, but that the process of using it to produce large amounts of energy is not. Why not? Because of the industrialization and deforestation that go hand in hand with building such massive dam projects to generate hydropower.
Our planet still provides the most green energy. Wind, water, and sunlight are therefore the most efficient and most widely used sources of renewable and green energy. Because there is no clear dividing line between these two energy sources, they go hand in hand perfectly.

What is clean energy?

Encyclo.nl defines “clean energy” as: “Energy sources that do not harm the environment when used (especially sources of electrical energy).” So, in essence, it is synonymous with green and renewable energy. The question, however, is just how “clean” clean energy really is. According to some, emissions from the transportation and production of energy must be factored in when assessing how sustainable an energy source is.

A Brief Overview of the Differences

To help you remember exactly what the differences are between the various energy sources, you can generally keep the following in mind:

• Renewable energy = recyclable sources
• Green energy = natural sources
• Clean energy = clean air

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