What are the meanings of “clean energy,” “renewable energy,” and “energy” in media, politics, and marketing?
Recently, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry told Fox News that President Trump supported “clean energy” and included natural gas exports and nuclear energy support as examples of the administration’s “clean energy” accomplishments. This wasn’t surprising, but I wondered if the viewers understood the nuances of the term “clean energy.”
Our “energy” words matter. They not only shape public opinion, but they also help consumers, businesses, and voters to choose the type of energy they want to use in their homes, businesses, and governments. While very different, “energy,” “renewable energy,” and “clean energy,” are often used interchangeably. They’re not the same, so we need to get on the same page.
With that in mind, I’d like to offer the following definitions and context for the three most common types of “energy” terms used in media, marketing, and politics. While my descriptions aren’t meant to be technical, I hope they’ll help people to understand what is meant when media, politicians, and marketers choose their energy words.
“Clean Energy”
“Clean Energy” (and “green energy”) can be purposely ambiguous and broad. When used, it can include any source of energy that emits less pollution and greenhouse gasses, such as all of the renewable energy sources, nuclear, carbon capture and storage (CCS), clean coal technology (CCT), hydrogen fuel cells, and combined heat and power (CHP), and natural gas.
“Clean energy” may sound clean, but that can be misleading. When politicians want to include nuclear power and natural gas with their clean energy goals, they’ll often label their plans as a “clean energy plan” or a “green energy plan.” If they meant a “100% renewable energy plan,” that would exclude nuclear and other low carbon energy sources.
As an example, the U.S. Department of Energy’s website’s “clean energy” page lists nuclear and hydrogen as clean energy sources. While hydrogen fuel cells don’t directly emit greenhouse gasses, they do use natural gas to convert hydrogen into electricity, making the “clean energy” term confusing. Solar energy may replace natural gas in the future, but not yet.
