Utility-scale solar power and pollution

A growing movement toward large-scale solar operations is upon us as scientists learn about effective solar power solutions. Utility-scale solar energy environmental issues include land disturbance and land use impacts; potential impacts to specially designated areas; impacts to soil, water, and air resources; impacts to vegetation, wildlife, wildlife habitat, and sensitive species; visual, cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental justice impacts, and potential impacts from hazardous materials.

Sun power reduces our fossil fuel vulnerability

Solar power facilities lessen the environmental impacts of fossil fuel power generation, such as impacts from greenhouse gases and other air pollution emissions. Unlike fossil fuel power generating facilities, solar producers have very low air emissions of air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during operations. In addition to these benefits of solar development, construction and operation of solar facilities creates both direct and indirect employment and additional income in the regions where the development occurs

Land disturbance and land use Impacts of solar

Utility-scale solar energy facilities require relatively large areas for solar radiation collection when used to generate electricity at utility-scale (defined for the Solar PEIS as facilities with a generation capacity of 20 MW or greater). Solar facilities may interfere with some land uses, such as grazing, wild horse and burro management, military uses, and minerals production. Solar facilities could affect the use of nearby specially designated areas such as wilderness areas, areas of special environmental concern, orl recreation management areas. Proper decisions can help to avoid land disturbance and land use impacts.

Solar construction

The construction and operation of solar facilities generate particulate matter, which can be a significant pollutant particularly in any nearby areas classified as Class I under Prevention of Significant Deterioration regulations (such as national parks and wilderness areas). The clearing and use of large areas of land for solar power facilities can adversely affect native vegetation and wildlife in many ways, including loss of habitat; interference with rainfall and drainage; or direct contact causing injury or death. The impacts are exacerbated when the species affected are classified as sensitive, rare, or threatened and endangered.

Other Impacts of solar power

Because they are generally large facilities with numerous highly geometric and sometimes highly reflective surfaces, solar energy facilities may create visual impacts; however, being visible is not necessarily the same as being intrusive. Aesthetic issues are by their nature highly subjective. Proper decisions can help to avoid aesthetic impacts to the landscape. Cultural and paleontological artifacts and cultural landscapes may be disturbed by solar facilities. Additionally, socioeconomic impacts (both positive and negative) may be associated with solar facilities. Solar energy development could provide new employment opportunities, but an influx of workers could disrupt public services. These impacts may be disproportionately experienced by minority or low-income populations, thus resulting in environmental justice issues.

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.