Environmental impacts of renewable energy

The world is making the change to renewable energy sources and there are questions about the environmental improvements and impacts of this switch. Over the next two decades, policymakers and industry officials will need to invest $2.5 trillion for electricity generation. Electricity from renewable energy sources produces between 90-99% fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) compared with coal-fired plants and causes 70-90% less pollution. Focusing on renewable energy sources other than fossil fuels and coals will help in avoiding environmental impacts, specifically from air pollution and GHGs. However, all forms of electricity generation have their impacts. To achieve a sustainable energy future, we need to understand the effects of different renewable energy resources.

Solar is the most valuable renewable resource

Renewable energy is derived from natural sources that are continuously and sustainably replenished. Renewable energy derives from wind energy, solar energy, biomass energy, biogas energy, geothermal energy, hydropower and offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy. A wind turbine may have a lifespan of 20-25 years, meaning the material investments may last for 20-25 years before needing to be replaced. Many solar panels have a substantially longer lifespan and new solar technologies are appearing, which extend the efficiency and range of solar technology. The materials used in creating renewable energy installations include neodymium, dysprosium, cadmium, tellurium, gallium, indium and selenium. These materials have been used only recently, which means that there are limited or no recycling systems yet. A solution to facilitate the large-scale recycling of these materials needs to be designed to avoid problems in the future. There are not currently enough renewable power plants to be retired that could be studied to address this issue empirically.

Hydropower’s planetary impacts

The environmental impacts of hydropower depend upon the location. For example, a tropical hydropower installation that is big and shallow can result in GHG emissions when it swamps and kills vegetation. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released in such instances, as well as methane (CH4), a GHG that is about 30 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat within the atmosphere.

Solar panels are the clear answer

Solar panels are designed to absorb the sun’s rays as a source of energy to be used for electricity or heating. Solar energy does not operate at night without a storage device such as a battery, and cloudy weather can lead to unreliability during the day. Solar energy remains useful, but further research must be done in order to have a fuller understanding of how to maximize its benefits.
In sum, renewable energy installations are critical to keeping global warming under 2°C, and their environmental impacts should be studied regularly as we evaluate non-renewables to realize their maximum potential.

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. 

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