How is the earth impacted by solar?

What are we to make of the larger, more dangerous wildfires decimating parts of California, Arizona, and Oregon? Is this directly related to climate change, or is it just a coincidence? Constant reports of climate-related weather events are making people take a close look at their energy use. Alternative energy sources are becoming more popular and solar is by far the most appealing for numerous reasons. Solar energy reached a tipping point in 2011. That was the year when the solar industry saved more greenhouse gases than it emitted.

The growth of solar power

The growth of solar power has accelerated globally over the past four decades. Cumulative capacity grew from less than one megawatt (MW) in 1975 to around 180 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2014, the study says. That is an increase of around 45%. This growth rate is celebrated as a sign of a thriving industry and a help in the fight against climate change. This is because solar panels generate carbon-free, renewable energy. However, producing the panels requires energy. Since this energy largely comes from fossil fuels, greenhouse gases are emitted during production. Fortunately, solar panels displace more polluting energy over their lifetime than was used during their production. For the industry as a whole, rapid growth means initial production emissions may have outweighed the savings from using solar instead of fossil fuels. When these savings begin to outweigh CO2 released during production, the solar industry contributes to mitigating global warming.

Falling costs of solar energy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan to establish the first national limits on carbon pollution from power plants will continue to help renewable energy growth. Wind and solar energy will play a paramount role in achieving the emissions cuts required, and carbon policies like the Clean Power Plan will be important in ensuring that low-carbon resources are prioritized over higher-emitting power stations.

Solar power is needed now before it’s too late

Clean energy growth and the transition to a low-carbon electric grid are important goals for the United States. There will be technological challenges to completing this transformation, but multiple studies report that integrating high levels of renewables into our electric grid is achievable. This is also being demonstrated in the real world today, as many states are already incorporating wind and solar, including in Texas, where wind supplies over 45 percent of the state’s total energy demand on multiple occasions, and in Iowa, as the state now gets almost a third of its annual power from wind. The diminishing sources of energy are just one part of the problem. There is yet another issue in this equation that is often overlooked. Many of the energy sources that we use today are not environmentally friendly at all. In fact, some of the renewable energy sources that are in vogue today leave a detrimental impact on the environment. By installing solar panels, people are taking the right step towards embracing an energy source that is not only an alternative to its traditional counterparts but is eco-friendly as well.

Solar's financial advantages

The migration to solar power has some wonderful advantages. Since solar panel costs remain low and rebates and incentives are still active, now is a great time to begin to assault your electric bills. For many consumers, you will annihilate your electric bill entirely and you may even be able to sell excess power back to your utility company. Imagine generating your own power, knowing that you are doing your part to prevent any further global warming.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.

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