Solar energy and the greenhouse effect

Burning fossil fuels is the root cause of the world’s pollution. Lawmakers all over the world are considering alternative energy sources that reverse the trend toward pollution of our planet. Renewable energy is a more sustainable way to consume energy that will create a long-term solution in the near future when we have exhausted the world’s fossil fuel supplies. The world has been largely reliant on fossil fuels for energy, torching more than 20 billion tons of carbon into the environment every year. These fossil fuels are becoming depleted rapidly, and demand for energy is increasing. Now, the construction industry and other industries that rely heavily on fossil fuels are transitioning to  sustainable and renewable resources to become less dependent on these polluting forms of energy

Europe leads the way in clean energy
 
In some places, such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, commitments to transitioning toward renewable energy were made years ago. The EU countries said in 2007 than 20% of its energy would be renewable energy by 2020, similarly, the UK committed to 15% of energy usage being renewables. Despite renewable energy’s ability to positively impact the environment, there is a debate about which forms of energy are truly “renewable.” Here are some energy sources that are considered truly “renewable”:
 
Solar

Solar converts sunlight, a naturally renewable and inexhaustible resource, into electricity. Several new solar technologies are being introduced making this form of energy more efficient. 
 
Tidal and Wave Power

Tidal turbines can generate electricity from the changing of the ocean’s tides. Similarly, electricity can be captured from the ocean’s waves, which are limitless.
 
Wind

Wind can be converted into electricity using wind turbines. However, wind turbines only generate energy 70-85% of the time, so their effectiveness is controversial. There are some who find the towers an “eyesore” but are gas refineries any nicer to look at?
 
Waste

Waste can be incinerated with little to no oxygen and turned into electricity or heat. Waste can also be repurposed as fertilizer.

Renewable energy and jobs 

Nearly half of energy consumption in the United States and 19% of energy consumption worldwide comes from the building sector of construction. To counter this negative impact on the environment, the construction industry is making the move toward sustainable energy. Energy-related projects provided more than 2 million construction jobs in 2016. This is equivalent to 31% of the entire construction workforce. Of the 2 million jobs, 1.4 million of them were in the energy-efficiency category. The major drawback and limitation of fully switching to renewable energy are that it is hard to locate and produce. The production of renewable energy is expensive and relies on some unpredictable variables, such as the weather conditions.

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.