Solar energy aids climate change

The news is full of reports about the dangerous effects of climate-related events. This summer we have seen much larger and destructive wildfires in California, multiple storms, droughts, and floods. Is it any wonder solar panels and wind turbines are an increasingly common sight?  What are the benefits of renewable energy sources and how do they promote our health, environment, and economy? This article explores the many positive impacts of clean energy, including the benefits of wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass.

Less global warming

Our atmosphere is overloaded with carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions resulting from human activity. These gases act like a blanket, trapping heat. The result is a web of significant and harmful impacts, from stronger, more frequent storms, to drought, sea level rise, and extinction of various species of animals.

Approximately 29 percent of global warming emissions come from the electricity sector in the U.S. Most of those emissions come from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

Dangerous public health consequences of fossil fuels

Fossil fuel use contributes significantly to human health maladies. Pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked with breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, premature death, and a host of other health problems. This pollution affects everyone. One Harvard University study estimated the life-cycle costs and public health effects of coal to be an estimated $74.6 billion each year. That’s equivalent to 4.36 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced—about one-third of the average electricity cost for the average US home.

Several negative health impacts originate from air and water pollution that clean energy technologies simply don’t produce. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems produce electricity with no associated air pollution emissions. Geothermal and biomass systems emit some air pollutants, though total air emissions are much lower than those of coal and natural gas-fired power plants.

Alternative energy sources require no water for operations

Solar and wind energy require virtually no water to operate and thus do not pollute water resources or strain supplies by competing with agriculture, drinking water, or other vital water needs. In contrast, fossil fuels can have a significant impact on water resources: both coal mining and natural gas drilling pollute sources of drinking water, and all thermal power plants, including those powered by coal, gas, and oil, remove and consume water for cooling.

Inexhaustible energy from solar power

Sunny skies, strong winds, abundant plant matter, heat from the earth, and fast-moving water can each provide a broad and constantly replenished supply of energy. A relatively small percentage of US electricity currently comes from these sources, but that could change soon. Studies have shown that renewable energy can provide a significant portion of future electricity needs, even after accounting for potential limitations.

Jobs and other economic benefits

The renewable energy industry is more labor intensive compared to fossil fuel technologies which are typically more capital intensive. Solar panels need humans to install them; wind farms need technicians for maintenance. More jobs are created on average, for each unit of electricity generated from alternative energy sources than from fossil fuels.

In 2016, the solar industry employed more than 260,000 people, including jobs in solar installation, manufacturing, and sales, a 25% jump over 2015. The hydroelectric power industry employed approximately 66,000 people in 2017]; the geothermal industry employed 5,800 people. Clean energy provides affordable electricity around the globe right now and can help stabilize energy prices in the future. Renewable facilities require upfront capital investment to construct and, they can then operate at a very low cost. As a result, renewable energy prices can be relatively stable over time.

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

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