| NYPIRG Green Energy Guide | Power Source Comparison Chart | ||||
| Type | Technology | Polluting? | Pros | Cons |
| Wind | Large blades on top of long poles catch wind currents and turn a turbine to create electricity. | No | -provides a great deal of energy - relatively inexpensive - almost always produces energy, but tends to produce the most at night, or in the winter ~ energy demands are highest on hot summer days |
- can face opposition due to visual and bird impacts ~ these concerns can be overcome with improved technology and by working with communities to choose turbines' sites |
| Small Hydro | Running or falling water in rivers and streams turn turbines to create electricity. | No | - provides moderate amounts of constant power - inexpensive |
- can impair fish migrations, but new technologies used in most Western states can protect fish while generating power |
| Solar | Sunlight is directly converted into electricity using photovoltaic cells made up of a semi-conductor material. | No | - provides the most power when electricity demand is highest — hot and sunny days | - to generate large amounts of electricity solar panels demand large amounts of space - expensive for large projects |
| Biomass | Broken down or raw organic waste, such as landfill gas and wood, is burned to create steam that turns turbines to create electricity. | Yes | - biomass-produced gas can be used in "fuel cells," a technology that uses chemical reactions instead of combustion of fuel to produce power | - burning biomass creates pollution that contributes to global warming and poor air quality, and can contain toxic heavy metals and carcinogens if derived from landfill gas |