Renewable Energy Environmental Impact
With so much talk regarding climate change lately, alternative energy solutions are top of mind.
It’s not just the smokestacks from factories and exhaust fumes from cars.
The energy produced for our own homes also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions just the same.
Switching to alternative energy sources for our day-to-day lives not only helps reduce our carbon footprint, but also helps us preserve our non-renewable resources.
Greenhouse gases are created when fossil fuels are burned to make electricity.
Solar power, however, is a clean and pure way to produce electricity. In fact, you’re not really creating energy as much as you are harnessing one form of energy and utilizing it for another. This recycled energy is both renewable and sustainable, and saves on energy costs in the long run.
Even with the prices of fossil fuels dropping over the years, it can no longer compete with the affordability of renewable energies.
The price of solar has decreased by nearly 60% since 2010. According to Consumer Reports, “in 2015 America averaged one new residential solar installation about every 100 seconds.” America passed the 1 million installation mark in May, 2016 and is expected to pass the 2 million installation mark in the summer of 2018.
It takes the burning of one pound of coal to create one kWh of electricity.
The average American household uses approximately 11,000 kWh of electricity per year. This would require the burning of five-and-a-half tons of coal. The burning of coal and other fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, along with other noxious gases.
In contrast, solar releases no emissions into the atmosphere. Purchasing a solar energy system may be the most important contribution you can make to limit your carbon footprint and save the environment.
Checkout this example using CanadianSolar brand panels. Learn more about our panel offerings here.
| Panel | Coal Saved | Car Travel | Trees Planted | C02 from Waste |
|
System Size: Small (4KW) |
44.18 Tons | 147,063 Miles | 3,235 | 147 |
| System Size: Medium (7KW) System Type: Grid Tied Solar Model: CS6P 250W Inverter Model: SMA TL |
72.32 Tons | 257,361 Miles | 5,662 | 257 |
| System Size: Large (10KW) System Type: Grid Tied Solar Model: CS6P 250W Inverter Model: SMA TL |
110.46 Tons | 367,659 Miles | 8,089 | 368 |
Ready to make your positive mark on the environment? Contact one of our solar consultants to begin your transition from non-renewable to renewable energy.
FAQs
What do you do with solar panels once they cannot produce solar energy anymore?
Being an environmentally conscious solar company, we provide e-waste recycling programs that would properly take care of solar panel waste in a safe and environmentally friendly fashion.
