More and more, people and businesses are installing solar panels. Why are they doing this? There are a few different reasons that they may be doing this. But before we get to those, let’s define just what a solar panel is.
A solar panel is a device that can convert light into electricity. The reason they are called solar panels is because they are usually powered by the sun. It is basically a bunch of solar cells. These cells can work together in large quantities to provide power. The more light these panels get, the more power they can create. Companies like Wilding Wallbeds have seen the benefits of retrofitting their production facility with solar panels that provide clean renewable energy to power machines as well as lighting.
Benefits Of Solar Panels
What homeowner or business owner couldn’t benefit from using some renewable energy, being environmentally responsible, and even saving a little money in the process? Whether it’s a full solar system for your home or solar panels for your RV, anything you can do to create your own electricity is energy that you don’t have to pay for. The cost for using power from local utilities is only going to go up. So finding other methods can save you quite a bit in the long run.
In addition to the savings in your pocket, there are also benefits for the environment when you invest in using solar power. If you spend much time watching the news or on social media, you’ll probably notice the growing sentiment that we all need to do our part to use clean energy. Both in our homes and in our businesses.
If you are thinking about using solar panels, here are a few reasons why solar panels are good for the environment that we need to work to preserve.
- Reduce greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions — The number of kilowatt hours used in a home or business can be decreased by 80 percent or more with the proper use of a solar energy system. This can have a tremendous impact on the environment over an extended period of time. For example, studies have shown that during the course of 20 years, producing just 80 percent of a typical home’s yearly energy usage, a solar energy system can make up for the equivalent CO2 emissions of 150,000 pounds of burned coal. That would be about the same as greenhouse gas emissions from 45 tons of waste in a landfill!
- Saving resources — Like it or not, the earth only has so much oil, coal, and gas to give us. And as the population of the planet continues to rise, those resources are getting used at a higher rate. At some point, these resources are either going to run out, or the cost of getting them will be so high that it is not realistic. Our greatest resource for energy is the sun. It produces well over 150,000 terawatts of solar energy per second! This is about 10,000 times the energy used in the entire world. This is an energy source that is not going anywhere. Using solar power is the best way for us to slow the use of all these resources. Otherwise, at some point we could be in a situation that there is no coming back from.
- Water pollution — Not many people think about water when it comes to using solar panels. The amount of water that is required to produce solar panels is much less than water needed for other electricity resources. In addition, other processes like natural gas and coal-fired facilities have to use tons of water for cooling. On the other hand, solar usage does not put a dent in water resources that are vital to industries such as agriculture.
- Environmental risk — In addition to the other benefits mentioned above, when you are dealing with solar power, there is no risk of an oil spill that can wreak havoc on the environment in many ways. There is no risk of ruining the water like there is when fracking is involved. And there is no need to worry about chemical leaks that can hurt the ecosystem.
In Conclusion
It is important for the environment to limit the use of some resources. It is also important to limit the strain on our wallet when we can. In this case, we can do both. The great thing about switching to renewable energy is that it is easier than ever before to do so.