Solar energy and greenhouse emissions

Pollution is a massive problem on a global scale, requiring immediate action. The most effective and fastest method to reverse climate change is to install solar panels on your home. This will allow you to generate your own power and you may even be able to sell any excess power back to your utility company or share it with your neighbors. Solar panels are cheaper and more efficient than any time previously. This has helped spur the growing solar energy revolution. But pollution remains perhaps the greatest single reason to transition to a solar energy generating system. Even low-carbon energy technologies like solar cells and wind power plants have greenhouse gas emissions, but those impacts pale in comparison with the emissions eliminated by fossil fuel sources.

The lifecycle emissions for fossil fuel-powered plants equipped with carbon sequestration technologies, for instance, still account for about 100 grams of carbon dioxide-equivalent per kilowatt hour of electricity produced by mid-century — or about 10 times more than the 10 grams of CO2 equivalents for wind and solar power.

“Due to technological innovation, less and less energy will be needed to produce wind turbines and solar photovoltaic systems.”
— Edgar Hertwich, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Solar power leading the way to safer energy

The complete de-carbonization of the global power system using these technologies would cause only modest greenhouse gas emissions — and therefore not reduce the transformation towards a climate-friendly power system. This finding refutes an argument made by some critics that even low-carbon sources of energy have “hidden” greenhouse emissions — for instance, the energy needed to produce solar panels — that would negate their “green” benefits. 

“Often, people object to low-carbon energy systems pointing to the energy needed to produce all the solar cells and wind power plants,” said Edgar Hertwich, a professor of industrial ecology at F&ES and co-author of the study. “But due to technological innovation, less and less energy will be needed to produce wind turbines and solar photovoltaic systems.”

Wind and solar energy provide a better greenhouse gas balance than fossil-based technologies since they don’t require additional energy for production and transport, he said. Solar power is the only sensible way we currently have to mitigate the deleterious effects of pollution. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at this rate, we will continue to see new forms of extreme weather.

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.