Purchase and production of green power are on the rise around the world. Government representatives from 170 countries came to December 2009’s Climate Conference in Copenhagen to discuss solutions to climate change. There are many new ideas and innovative technologies on the horizon, but energy efficiency and renewable energy remain an extremely important part of the solution. Different countries are taking different approaches to environmental responsibility. Some, like the UK, are making countrywide carbon dioxide emissions goals. Others, such as the United States, seem to be largely leaving the green power initiatives to individual communities, states, and businesses for now, while providing some government financial incentives to go green.

In the United States, about one-fourth of all utility companies offer individual consumers the option of purchasing green energy. Some states are much further along than others in terms of the opportunities for businesses and individuals to choose green power. In Wisconsin, a program called Focus on Energy has helped individuals and businesses to save $319 million dollars in energy costs in 2009 alone. Researchers in Ohio, North Carolina, and California have just recently been awarded big grants from the US Department of Energy to pursue innovative green electricity projects. Many northeastern US states such as Vermont are also working towards developing more sustainable energy sources. Voluntary programs such as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership have also been successful in encouraging businesses and organizations to invest in renewable energy.

Canada is also working on voluntary carbon reductions. The province of British Columbia has decided to go carbon neutral. In addition to overhauling government waste, they will purchase renewable energy credits to offset their conventional electricity usage. Businesses in Canada are also taking the plunge. In the last few months, 184 green energy projects have been launched in Ontario, and 23 have taken off in British Columbia.

In Europe, many countries have more specific goals and regulations regarding carbon dioxide emissions. In the UK, a certain percentage of the power mix at each utility company must come from renewable sources. In Finland, 25.7% of their total power mix came from renewable sources in 2009. Portugal is striving to lead Europe in renewable energy production within the next few years.

France is an interesting case. Although almost none of its energy comes from renewable sources, it has the cleanest air in Europe since it uses 75 percent nuclear power. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases, but it does have other environmental concerns such as the disposal of nuclear waste.

Around the world in Japan, sustainability efforts were lacking for a long time. Now part of the Japanese economic stimulus plan is to start investing in efforts to reduce climate change, such as investing in solar power installations and the production of electric cars. One problem is that emission reduction targets for businesses in Japan are only voluntary, and Japanese factories are big polluters.

Photo via Maggi_94