Greenhouse emissions vs. solar energy

It is truly unfortunate that mankind had to wait until the earth is nearly destroyed before developing a cogent energy plan. The introduction and implementation of solar power are changing the course of human history. Solar energy is a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Solar radiation is fundamental to life on Earth, providing the limitless supply of energy that fuels nearly every ecosystem on the planet. Solar, however, supplies only a fraction of global energy. The solar industry is a quickly expanding component of the renewable energy sector that is poised for enormous growth due to falling prices and environmental necessity. 

Solar energy on earth

The sun produces energy through thermonuclear fusion in its core; this energy is released from the sun as neutrinos and electromagnetic, or solar, radiation. After an approximately 8-minute voyage across 150 million kilometers (93,000,000 miles) of space, about half a trillionth of the solar radiation created by the sun reaches Earth. The atmosphere reflects some 29 percent of this incoming energy and absorbs about 23 percent. About half of that energy reaches earth’s surface. Photosynthetic organisms, such as green plants, use this energy to make carbohydrates from carbon and water. This process transmutes solar radiation into a form usable by other organisms.

Solar energy for electricity 

Today’s solar technology is divided into passive and active categories. Passive solar energy utilizes the light of the sun directly, as in a building designed to provide natural light. Active solar technology produces photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems. A photovoltaic installation generates electricity from sunlight using a semiconductor, a material that produces an electrical charge when solar photons excite its electrons. Solar thermal energy systems concentrate solar heat, either for heating purposes in a home or to fuel industrial-scale steam-powered electrical generators. Moreover, radiation from the sun is also the ultimate driver of many other energy sources. The remains of organisms powered by sunlight compose coal and hydrocarbons, and differential solar heating of the planet helps spur the air and water currents tapped through wind and wave energy.

Reduction of harmful greenhouse gas emissions 

Burning fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Solar energy does not emit greenhouse gases, although emissions can result from the production and installation of solar systems. A 2014 assessment published by the International Energy Agency suggested that photovoltaic and thermal energy systems could potentially constitute the largest source of global electricity by the middle of this century. This scenario, the agency reasoned, could prevent more than 6 billion tons of annual carbon-dioxide emissions by 2014.

Make the switch to solar power today!

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. 

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.