Solar power and the environment

Solar generation of electricity is experiencing a tremendous growth spurt. But how are solar panels made and how do they aid humanity in the search for clean, renewable energy? 

Elemental silicon has had a huge impact on the human race. Silicon, found in sand, has the remarkable ability to generate electricity when light strikes it. This "photovoltaic" effect enables sunlight to operate watches, power spacecraft,  and provide electricity for homes and businesses. Clean, renewable energy from the sun is normally the best alternative to "dirty," nonrenewable fossil fuel. However, in some conditions, that free energy impacts our environment.

Secrets to collecting electricity from the sun

As a solar business owner, you might market two types of technologies that produce electricity: photovoltaic, which uses silicon or other conductive substances, and solar-thermal. Solar panels containing small solar cells are examples of photovoltaic products. Devices that use solar thermal technology focus sunlight on liquid that warms the water to produce steam. Energy from the steam turns a generator that produces electricity. Solar power plants generate electricity for multitudinous customers using this method.

Minimal solar power impacts

For example, a solar-powered parking meter requires no fuel, and it releases no toxins into the environment. When companies create photovoltaic wafers that go into solar cells, the production process generates a small amount of hazardous material. Workers must manage it carefully to prevent environmental and health problems. When some solar cells break, they become hazardous waste and must also be handled with care
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Solar Energy's Negative Effects on Land and Wildlife

It is becoming increasingly common for homes and small businesses to install solar panels on roofs. Because that installation occurs on existing developments, photovoltaic systems do not usually consume large amounts of land that you could use for something else. However, solar-thermal systems can sometimes use a large amount of land depending on the type of technology you use and the facility's size. If a new solar energy installation requires land use, it could have a negative impact on wildlife habitat in the area. Off-grid PV systems often have disposable batteries that store energy when the sun shines so you can use it at night. These batteries can harm the environment unless you dispose of them properly because some of them can leak toxins such as lead and sulfuric acid. 

Solar Power Plants Produce More Than Electricity

Solar energy devices may not harm the environment, but operations and maintenance activities at solar energy facilities might. Excess noise, for instance, could disturb wildlife around a power plant. Equipment at a facility itself could cause problems. Focused sun rays at a solar thermal plant could conceivably harm birds. Workers at solar energy facilities must also use and dispose of cleaning agents carefully to protect the environment as well as a life that lives in it. Finally, concentrating solar power technologies (parabolic trough and power tower) may also generate substantial amounts of heat transfer fluids and industrial solid wastes, such as lubricating oils, compressor oils, and hydraulic fluids.

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. 

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