Positive Effects of Solar Energy

Beyond making our very existence possible, energy from the sun has for decades attracted attention as a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Solar radiation is fundamental to life on Earth, providing the ceaseless supply of energy that fuels nearly every ecosystem on the planet. Currently, however, solar supplies only a fraction of global energy. The solar industry is a rapidly expanding component of the renewable energy sector. Debate continues over the cost, practicality, and performance of industrial-scale solar installations. However,  the technology offers much promise as a sustainable source of energy.

Solar Energy on Earth 

The sun produces energy through thermonuclear fusion in its core; this energy is released from the star as neutrinos and electromagnetic, or solar, radiation. After a roughly 8-minute voyage across 150 million kilometers (93,000,000 miles) of space, about half a trillionth of the solar radiation generated by the sun reaches Earth. The atmosphere reflects some 29 percent of this incoming energy and absorbs roughly 23 percent. About 48 percent reaches Earth’s surface. Photosynthetic organisms, such as green plants, use this energy to manufacture carbohydrates from carbon and water. This process translates solar radiation into a form usable by other living things.
 

Solar Energy for Electricity 

Modern solar technology is divided into passive and active categories. Passive solar energy exploits the heat or light of the sun directly, as in a building designed to provide natural light. Active solar technology includes photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems. A photovoltaic installation generates electricity from sunlight using a semiconductor, a material that produces an electrical charge when solar photons excite its electrons. Solar thermal energy systems concentrate and channel solar heat, either for heating purposes in a home or to fuel industrial-scale steam-powered electrical generators. On a broader level, radiation from the sun is also the ultimate driver of many other energy sources. The remains of organisms powered by sunlight compose coal and hydrocarbons, for example, and differential solar heating of the planet helps spur the air and water currents tapped through wind and wave energy.
 

Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Burning fossil fuels introduces greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. These gases are so-named because they absorb outgoing longwave radiation from the planet and are thought to boost global temperatures -- a process somewhat similar to the function of a greenhouse. Using solar energy does not emit greenhouse gases, although emissions can result from the production and installation of solar technology. A 2014 assessment published by the International Energy Agency suggested that photovoltaic and thermal energy systems could potentially constitute the largest source of global electricity by 2050. This scenario, the agency reckoned, could prevent more than 6 billion tons of annual carbon-dioxide emissions by that year.
 

Human Health and Safety 

Beyond emitting greenhouse gases, fossil-fuel combustion can pollute air and water, adversely affecting human health on local and regional scales. The Union of Concerned Scientists gauges the economic repercussions of such health problems in the United States at between $361.7 and $886.5 billion. Solar energy, by contrast, is non-polluting. The technology can also cut down on noise pollution associated with energy generation; photovoltaic solar installations are essentially silent. They’re considered safe for humans to operate and unlikely to produce dangerous amounts of radiation. Solar energy can also be employed to treat or purify drinking water, a significant public health benefit in the developing world.
 

Energy Independence and National Security 

Compared with other potential sources of energy, sunlight is a universally available resource, though of course, it varies geographically and seasonally in amount and intensity. Capitalizing on such a potentially productive domestic energy supply can reduce a country’s dependence on foreign energy sources. Furthermore, just as a distributed energy system is better safeguarded from natural disasters, it’s also less vulnerable than a centralized power grid to terrorist attacks. 

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. 

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