Here are five of the environmental benefits of renewable solar energy, Reduces air pollution. Fossil fuels create many pollutants. Reduce dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Improves Humanity's Long-Term Health.
As a clean, emission-free energy source, often found on private property and built with considerable, non-paying private investment, rooftop solar provides valuable social benefits.
solar energy
reduces global warming pollution and also reduces emissions of hazardous air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, mercury and particulate matter. This is a little less obvious, but it is certainly one of the biggest environmental advantages of solar energy. While all manufacturing processes require some water, including those used to make solar panels, the total amount of water needed to generate solar electricity is dramatically less than that of more traditional electricity sources.Older technologies, such as nuclear, natural gas and coal installations, require large quantities of water to cool. With solar energy, there is almost no risk to local water resources, nor does its operation affect local supplies by competing with agriculture, drinking water systems and other vital water needs. Solar panels have social and cumulative advantages. The more people who see their neighbors, friends and family use solar energy, the more likely they are to become solar users.
This leads to lower consumption of fossil fuels, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a safer and smarter planet. An increasing number of households are choosing to install solar panels in their homes to help reduce their energy costs. Environmental problems related to the production of these materials could be associated with solar energy systems when performing the life cycle or so-called cradle-to-grave environmental analysis. However, there are environmental problems related to the production and use of solar energy technologies.
However, quantifying these impacts is essential to understanding the true costs and benefits of solar and conventional generation technologies. Solar energy technologies require the use of materials, such as metals and glass, whose manufacture requires a lot of energy. Some solar thermal systems use potentially hazardous fluids to transfer heat, and leakage of these materials could be harmful to the environment. For that not-so-sunny house in Connecticut, switching from fossil fuels to solar energy has the same emission reduction effect as planting about 150 trees each year for the life of the solar panel system.
Solar energy dramatically reduces carbon emissions in the air you breathe, improving your overall health. Using solar energy instead of the grid also means reducing the need to produce carbon dioxide emitting energy for the grid on your behalf; for energy users in mainland Australia, you could offset between half and one ton of carbon dioxide for every megawatt-hour of solar energy you use. Even a modest solar energy system can easily reduce that figure by 80%, while many may even approach 100%. As you can see, the advantages of solar energy are real, measurable and affect everyone on the planet.
On the other hand, solar energy and panels do not emit carbon dioxide emissions and provide your home with clean energy. The operation of photovoltaic solar cells does not require water at all to generate electricity, which reduces the pressure on this valuable resource. Not only does it reduce the need for generation and investment in central power plants, but, during the long service life of solar energy systems, it can also increase price stability and reliability of the grid, and reduce environmental compliance costs. The Department of Energy is supporting several efforts to address end-of-life issues related to solar energy technologies, including the recovery and recycling of materials used to manufacture photovoltaic cells and panels.
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