Greenhouse gas emissions and solar

Dangerous, life-threatening weather events are becoming more usual as the world continues the unsafe burning of fossil fuels. The adoption of solar energy across the globe is not happening fast enough to make a substantive difference now. Climate scientists are very concerned about ice losses at the poles among many other environmental anxieties.

Fortunately, the rapid rise in the construction of solar power systems is making a big change in fossil fuel consumption across the globe. Climate change is the main reason for renewable energy generation. Solar panels and wind turbines are an increasingly common sight everywhere. This article reports on the many positive impacts of clean energy.

Less global warming emissions with solar energy

When seeking the source of global warming, we must be honest about our own energy use. We are polluting our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions and United States citizens are always among the biggest energy consumers on the planet. These greenhouse gases trap heat. The result is a series of harmful effects, from more intense and more frequent storms, to drought, sea level rise, and extinction of plant and animal species. In the United States, almost a third of global warming emissions arise from our electricity sector. Most of those emissions are from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

What is carbon dioxide?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas, but other pollutants—such as methane—also cause global warming. Different energy sources produce various amounts of these pollutants. To make comparisons easier, we use a carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e—the quantity of carbon dioxide required to produce an equivalent amount of warming.

Improved health through solar power due to limited emissions

The air and water pollution emitted by fossil fuel plants is connected with respiratory problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, cancer, and a host of other serious health issues. The pollution affects everyone: one Harvard University study estimated the costs and health impacts of coal to be an estimated $74.6 billion annually.

Negative health impacts from pollution

The bulk of these negative health impacts come from air and water pollution that clean energy technologies just don’t produce. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems generate electricity with no associated air pollution. Geothermal and biomass systems emit some air pollutants, though total air emissions are usually much lower than those of coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. It is also a fact that wind and solar 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 water needs. Fossil fuels have a huge impact on water resources. Stalwart winds, sunny skies, abundant plant matter, heat from the earth, and fast-moving water can each provide a huge supply of energy.  Only a small portion of US electricity currently comes from these sources, but that could change very soon: studies have regularly shown that renewable energy can provide a meaningful share of future electricity needs, even after accounting for potential restrictions.

Explore the exciting world of solar energy!

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

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