Solar thermal energy and solar

It is now considered a scientific fact that climate change is real. It is currently happening and is mostly caused by human activities. To prevent the most dangerous impacts of global warming, the United States must take action to reduce global warming pollution quickly and substantively. Electricity generation accounts for more than a third of America’s global warming emissions. Preventing global warming, therefore, will require the United States to transition from highly polluting sources of power, such as coal-fired power plants, and toward clean, sustainable energy sources.

CSP technologies help global warming

Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies – which use the sun’s heat to generate electricity – can make a significant contribution toward reducing pollutants in the United States, and do so rapidly and at a reasonable cost. CSP can also lessen other environmental impacts of electric power production while inspiring economic development and creating jobs.

The transition away from fossil fuels

The United States has limited time to switch from dirty energy sources and toward clean, renewable energy. The latest climate science reports that the United States and the world must reduce emissions of global warming pollutants quickly and dramatically to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of global warming. If global average temperatures increase by more than two degrees, scientists warn that dangerous impacts from global warming will become inevitable, including flooding of coastal cities, where the sea levels are already high. To have a reasonable chance of preventing a two-degree increase in global average temperatures, the world must keep the concentration of greenhouse gas pollution in the atmosphere below 450 parts per million.

The U.S. needs to reduce emissions now

The United States must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 15-20 percent from 2000 levels by 2020, and by 80 percent by 2050 to prevent damaging impacts from global warming. Other nations must act aggressively as well especially the two largest polluters, China and India. America’s electric power plants produce more carbon dioxide (the leading global warming pollutant) than the entire economy of any nation on the planet other than China. Even if America wakes up and begins using energy efficiency improvements to prevent future growth in electricity consumption, the country will still need to increase its renewable generating capacity drastically. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to 20 percent below 2000 levels by 2020, for instance, would require the U.S. to generate 15 to 24 percent of its electricity from new renewable sources – or between 158 GW and 257 GW of new renewable energy by 2020. The need for clean energy will be further stimulated in future decades as the United States tries to meet increasingly stringent targets for emission reductions. Concentrating solar power is ready to diminish global warming pollution, and can begin doing so right away. America has extensive potential to generate power from the sun.  Sunny areas of the United States, such as the Mountain West, the Great Plains, California, and Florida, can also generate power from solar thermal energy.

Making the switch to solar power has never been easier. The price for solar panels continues to fall, despite solar tariffs placed by the U.S. government. Incentives and rebates are available for the solar novice to get started in solar power. There is nothing more important you can do for the environment and for your pocketbook than installing a solar energy system. You will see the difference on your electric bill right away and every month thereafter for decades.

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

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