How does solar help the environment?

How many news reports of dangerous weather conditions will we experience before our lawmakers wake up? This summer, alarming weather trends are causing hundreds of deaths from Japan to Canada. The burning of fossil fuels is the main culprit according to scientists. The earth is warming to such an extent that methane trapped in the permafrost is being emitted into the atmosphere at a terrifying rate. Without a serious commitment to renewable energy sources, the inhabitants of the earth are doomed to many dangers and some of these scientists have only recently discovered. The time to transition to solar energy is now before it’s too late. There is a multitude of advantages to installing a solar power system. For many American homeowners, the biggest attraction to solar power is that once the cost of installing it is paid off, the energy is free. So the only real question is whether the payback period on the investment is better than the returns they would get from investing their money in other ways. Most homeowners are now more interested in the financial advantages of installing solar rather than the environmental benefits.

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that is needed desperately

NASA estimates that the sun will shine for another 6.5 billion years. The surface of the earth receives 120,000 terawatts of solar radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is needed to supply the entire planet. Harnessing solar energy does not cause pollution. There are some emissions associated with the production and installation of solar energy materials but these emissions are negligible when compared to generating electricity from fossil fuels. 

Community solar can be used to overcome installation issues

Because of shade, insufficient space and ownership issues many American domiciles are currently unfit for solar panels. With the introduction of shared solar power, homeowners can subscribe to "community solar gardens", and produce solar power without actually having solar panels on their own rooftops. The advantage of this is that installation costs are cheaper if large numbers of panels are installed in one location. Legislation is required to enable community solar in each state.  Fortunately,  there are no moving parts involved in solar power systems. This means there is no noise associated with photovoltaics. This compares well to other renewable technologies such as wind turbines. Because there are no moving parts there is no noise pollution from solar technologies either.

Technology is Improving

New solar technologies are being created regularly. Technological improvements are perpetually being made in the design of the solar equipment. As the cells in solar panels become more efficient at turning solar energy into electricity, the amount of space required to generate solar power will decrease. 

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

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.