Geothermal
Many technologies have been developed to take advantage of geothermal energy — the heat from the Earth. Geothermal energy is often found in shallow groundwater or hot rocks many miles under the Earth's surface. This heat and energy can be converted into electricity by specialized power plants. Geothermal energy is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases), reliable (average system availability of 95 percent), and homegrown (making us less dependent on foreign oil).
Hemp Oil
The pulp (hurd) of the hemp plant can be burned as fuel or processed into charcoal, methanol, methane or gasoline. The process for doing this is called destructive distillation, or "pyrolysis." Fuels made from plants like this are called "biomass" fuels. Biomass fuels are clean and virtually free from metals and sulphur. More importantly, however, the carbon dioxide that is released when you burn biomass fuels comes from the air and not from underground. This way, the total amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere does not change. When petroleum products are burned, carbon is added to the air; it may contribute to global warming through the greenhouse effect.
Landfill Gas
Municipal solid waste landfills are the largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for about 34 percent of these emissions. Instead of being allowed to escape into the air, landfill gas can be captured, converted and used as an energy source. Using LFG reduces odors and other hazards associated with LFG emissions. It also prevents methane from migrating into the atmosphere, where it contributes to local smog and global climate change.
Solar
Probably the best-known form of clean, renewable energy, solar technologies "catch" sunlight to produce heat and electricity. This electricity, known as photovoltaic or "PV" solar energy, can be used to charge electric vehicles and homes around the world.
Sugar Power
When sugar cane is crushed, the juice is extracted and converted into sugar. The leftover fiber from the cane, called "bagasse," can be converted into a source of clean, renewable energy. Bagasse is often used as a primary fuel source for sugar mills; when burned in quantity, it produces sufficient heat energy to supply all the needs of a typical sugar mill, with energy to spare. To this end, a secondary use for this waste product is in cogeneration, the use of a fuel source to provide both heat energy, used in the mill, and electricity, which is typically sold to the consumer electricity grid.
