How does solar power reduce pollution?

Widespread pollution and related health issues are generating a solar energy revolution around the world. For many years, fossil fuel use has been integrated into the fabric of American society. Natural gas, petroleum, and coal together accounted for more than 80 percent of energy use in the United States in 2012. Meanwhile, more than 5 gigawatts of solar power capacity was scheduled to come online in 2013 -- about as much capacity as was added for coal plants over a nearly 20-year span.

Availability of fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are estimated to last another 50 years, according to most estimates. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum are all examples of fossil fuels whose energy density is much greater than that of solar energy. Unfortunately, all three forms of fossil fuels must be mined or extracted from under the ground. This is an expensive, and sometimes dangerous, task. But once the fossil fuel is extracted and delivered, it can be used anytime. For example, you can drive your car at 2 a.m. or 2 p.m., or bake a cake at noon or midnight. Solar energy is only available when the sun is shining. Short winter days, cloudy weather and the simple rising and setting of the sun all limit the availability of solar power. To make solar power available at other times you need to have some way of storing the energy. Batteries are the best option currently.

Long-Term Availability of fossil fuels scarce

Fortunately for the environment, fossil fuels are a limited resource. The gallon of gasoline you burned to get to work took millions of years to make, but you used it in just a few minutes. 
Solar energy is -- at least for the next 4 or 5 billion years -- a renewable resource. If you collect 1,200 watt-hours on Tuesday, you will not reduce the amount of solar energy you can collect on Wednesday. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum remain buried in the Earth and those fuels will run out much earlier than the life of the sun.

Emissions

Considerable energy is expended in the manufacture of solar energy systems, some toxic compounds are used in their fabrication and large solar farms can disrupt the habitat of their locales, but the net environmental impact of solar energy generation is small. Fossil fuels can damage the environment during their collection and transport, but even more importantly, fossil fuel combustion produces environmental toxins. In addition, they also produce huge volumes of carbon dioxide, which is a gas that influences the global climate.

Cost

Solar power is generated in a completely different way from fossil fuel-based power, so it's a little challenging to compare the price. Fossil-fuel plants are not as expensive per megawatt as solar power systems. Solar power costs more initially, but the fuel is free, and the maintenance costs are much lower than for fossil fuel plants. Considering those factors, the basic costs of solar power generation are about two to three times the cost of fossil fuel plants. When you add in distribution costs and local variables, there are some places where solar energy is already as cheap as fossil-fuel energy -- and solar costs are already falling.

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, 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. 

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