Clean energy can be used for a variety of different applications, from electricity generation to heating water and more, depending on the source of the energy. Solar energy can be used for heating and lighting buildings, generating electricity, heating water directly, cooling and more. Solar panels allow for energy from the sun to be collected and turned into electricity. Solar panels are frequently used for small electric tasks, such as charging batteries, while many people already use solar energy for small garden lanterns. However, this same technology can be scaled up to larger panels that are used to provide power for homes or other buildings or even installations of multiple solar panels, such as with a community solar panel array to power entire towns. Water is another clean resource with some surprising applications. Most obvious are hydroelectric power plants, which take the flow of water from rivers, streams or lakes to create electricity. A less obvious use of water comes through municipal pipes in towns and cities. With lots of water running through pipes in homes each day, there is a move towards harnessing this energy to help meet domestic and other power needs. As generators become smaller and less expensive to build this use of municipal water is becoming closer to being a daily reality. Wind power works by attaching a windmill to a generator which turns the turning of the windmill blades into power. This form of energy has been used for centuries to grind grain, pump water or perform other mechanical tasks, but is now being used more often to produce electricity. Onshore and offshore windfarms are becoming increasingly prevalent, but wind power can also be used on a much smaller scale to produce electricity, even to provide a source of power for recharging mobile telephones. These examples of renewable sources can be added to by others, such as geothermal, biomass and tidal power, which also all have their own benefits and applications.