The Environmental Impacts

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Environmental Benefits of Solar Power

Understanding how solar power benefits the environment is simple: the sun provides an inexhaustible supply of energy. Solar power captures this energy with practically no impact on the environment.

When we talk about the major environmental benefits of solar power, we are often considering the large scale. There’s no question that a Megawatt scale solar system replacing a coal burning power plant will make a difference. But even on the smaller residential scale, your solar power can have a significant impact.

1)     Reduction in Air Pollution

Traditional electricity is sourced from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. When fossil fuels are burned to produce electricity, they emit harmful carbon dioxide and methane gases that are leading contributors to global warming and decreased air quality but generating electricity with solar panels produces no harmful gases whatsoever.

In addition to this impact, solar power also reduces the overall public health effects.

2)     Reduction in Water Pollution

While all manufacturing processes require some water, solar photovoltaic cells don’t need water to generate electricity. This is one of the biggest, yet least talked about environmental benefits of solar. Traditional biomass and geothermal power plants, such as natural gas and coal-fired facilities, require massive amounts of water to facilitate their vital cooling requirements. With solar energy there is no such requirement.

3)     Reduction in Carbon Footprint

Going solar reduces the detrimental impact you have on our environment. Even considering the energy expended to initially produce solar panels, you will produce far less emissions compared to sticking with traditional sources of energy over the lifetime of your system.