Everyone benefits from solar power

In today’s world where the discovery of climate-related weather disasters is increasingly endured, there is a major impulse for renewable energy sources. Solar energy contributes many advantages over traditional energy methods by minimizing defects in those systems sometimes considered to be unchangeable. Solar power for home power production has its defects, too, which are outlined in another article, but they're overcome by the benefits listed below.

What are the principal advantages of solar energy?

While fossil fuels are a terrible and finite source of energy, the quantity of available solar energy is staggering -- roughly 10,000 times that currently needed by humans -- and it’s constantly accessible. A mere 0.02% of incoming sunlight, if obtained efficiently, would be sufficient to replace every other fuel source on earth.  Earth’s average albedo is around 30%, meaning that about 52 petawatts of energy are reflected by the earth and lost into the atmosphere every year. Contrast this number with global energy-consumption statistics.  Annually, the energy dissipated to space is the combined equivalent of 400 hurricanes, 1 million Hoover Dams, Great Britain's energy requirement for 250,000 years, worldwide oil, gas and coal production for 387 years, 75 million cars, and 50 million 747s running steadily for one year. Solar energy is a zero-emission technology and solar panels create no pollution, although they impose environmental costs via manufacture and construction. These environmental circumstances are negligible, however, when compared with the damage inflicted by traditional energy sources:  the burning of fossil fuels releases about 21.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere yearly.  

Rural and remote areas thrilled to have solar energy

Solar power is a great solution for remote areas that are not attached to energy grids. It may come as a surprise to city-dwellers but, according to Home Power Magazine, as of 2006, 180,000 houses in the United States were off-grid, and that number is probably substantially higher today. California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have long been refuges for such energy innovators, though people live off the grid in every state. While many of these people bypass the grid on principle, owing to politics and environmental concerns, few of the world’s 1.8 billion off-the-gridders have any other options. Solar energy greatly improves the quality of life for millions of people who live in the dark, especially in locations such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where as many as 90% of the rural population lacks electricity. People in these areas must rely on fuel-based lighting, which administers significant social and environmental costs, from ill health through contamination of indoor air, to limited overall productivity.   

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. In order for the world to avert the devastating effects of climate change, we must encourage millions of home and business owners to install solar panels. The latest climate science suggests that we may already be too late, but every effort we make to use energy more responsibly helps in the effort to defeat global warming. Now that solar panels are remaining inexpensive, many home and business owners are seeing the wisdom of investing in a solar energy system. Imagine the freedom of knowing you are generating your own power, free from the interference of the electric grid!  Many solar customers are living with a clearer conscience knowing they are doing their part to avert climate change with their solar panels. It really is a great time to go solar.

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

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