Climate scientists agree solar is the way

For many years, scientists have warned about the dangers that will result from too much combustion of fossil fuels. Now some of these same researchers are discovering their dire predictions were much too optimistic. Despite the warnings, man has continued to pollute at an alarming rate.  What are we doing about this problem? Climate experts agree that solar energy is a technology that has multiple benefits for humanity. One of the main reasons that people want to look at installing solar panels is to save money. For others, the most compelling reason is that it will have a positive impact on the environment, and the future generations of the planet. Now that prices have come down for solar panels, a solar power system is within financial reach of more people.

Environmental and financial benefits of solar power

It is increasingly true that solar panels have both financial and environmental rewards, and there are some significant ways that solar panels are having a positive effect on the environment. When burned, fossil fuels are used to generate electricity. However, they simultaneously produce highly toxic amounts of greenhouse gases. These are gases that are released into the atmosphere and trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. The most common of these gases is carbon dioxide.

The production of fossil fuels is also dangerously polluting

In addition to these extraction methodologies, searching for oil can have its own negative impacts. Seismic techniques for seeking oil beneath the ocean floor can do serious harm to fish and marine life, not to mention when there are oil leaks, such as the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010. Fracking in Oklahoma has resulted in many earthquakes. By contrast,  solar panels do nothing to harm the environment. Solar panels provide clean, efficient energy, using a resource that is not depleting the extremely limited resources of the planet.

Solar panel technology reduces air pollution

As stated earlier, generating electric power with solar panels produces no greenhouse gases. The solar capacity currently installed across the United States offsets as much as 16.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. This is an important step toward managing the human impact of climate change. But scientists tell us we need to do better or risk even more damaging environmental issues. Consumers often ask what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint. What about citizens in urban America, for example? What if more people installed a solar energy system on their home and also drove an electric car powered by their solar-powered home? Think of the difference these two simple and affordable steps could make if multiplied times thousands. This is the kind of collective effort that is required to begin to slow down the warming of the planet. There is a noted momentum that builds when one citizen installs solar on his rooftop. The neighbors begin to wonder if they should be generating their own electricity also. Soon, a movement is born and climate scientists tell us it's long overdue and extremely necessary.

Solar energy reduces water pollution

Many power plants today need a significant amount of water to produce steam to move turbines and cool down the system afterward. The amount of water used in the process makes up almost fifty percent of all freshwater withdrawals in the United States, which adds up to billions of gallons daily. Solar energy creates no pollution of local water sources and does not strain domestic supplies through competition with agriculture, drinking systems, and other vital water needs of each community.

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

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