How does solar affect global warming?

Global climate change is an issue the world can no longer fail to ignore. The rapid pace of climate change events makes the adoption of renewable energy of paramount importance. Solar energy generation is the greatest long-term solution to greenhouse gas emissions and the catastrophic warming of the planet. Other renewable energy sources are less effective, but technological advancements promise better environmental performance in the future.

Solar and wind energy are ready to go now
 
Rooftop solar panels are a huge boon to our clean energy future. But larger solar installations are going to become increasingly important in the near future. Constructing solar, wind or nuclear plants creates an insignificant carbon footprint compared with savings from avoiding fossil fuels, a new study suggests. The research, published in Nature Energy, measured the greenhouse gas gases of a range of sources of electricity out to 2050. The study showed that the carbon footprint of solar, wind and nuclear power are many times lower than coal or gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS). This remained true after accounting for emissions during manufacture and construction.
“There was a concern that it is a lot harder than suggested by energy scenario models to achieve climate targets, because of the energy required to produce wind turbines and solar panels and associated emissions,” explains project leader Dr Gunnar Luderer, who is an energy system analyst at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research (PIK).
 

Carbon debt and the solar energy solution

Some people argue that nuclear, wind or solar power have a hidden carbon footprint, due to their manufacture and construction. This large “carbon debt”, and the related debt of energy, must be paid off if they are to cut emissions over their lifetime. Nuclear plants have extremely dangerous waste to dispose of and there are no safe ways to treat this toxic waste. Ask the Japanese how they feel about nuclear energy after the disasters at Fukushima.

Factories producing solar panels use large amounts of electricity, often derived from coal-fired power stations in China. Wind turbines and nuclear plants require a lot of steel and concrete. In addition, the centrifuges that separate nuclear fuel also tend to produce a large electricity bill. Still, zero-carbon sources of electricity are not the only ones to have a hidden, indirect carbon and energy footprint. For gas and coal, these energy uses and emissions come from extraction machines and fuel transport. They also come from methane leaks at pipelines, wellheads or coal mines. These lifecycle emissions continue, even if coal or gas plants add CCS, which also may not capture 100% of emissions at the power plant.

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

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