For the past several years, environmental concerns have been a hot topic. Everyone, from the average citizen to big businesses, has become more conscious about their actions and operations’ potential effects on the world around them.
One way people have been reducing their environmental footprint is by utilizing solar panels to replace or partially supplant traditional energy sources. As a clean, renewable energy source, solar is among the popular green energies available. And, not only is it renewable, but the solar panels used can benefit your local environment. Here are the ways they can do so.
Reduces Land Usage for Power Sources
Solar panels can efficiently generate significant electricity even from a relatively small plot of land. Although solar farms occupy space, they are capable of producing substantial amounts of power, potentially reducing the necessity to use additional land for alternative energy sources. For instance, a solar farm spanning 8 acres can generate 1 megawatt of electricity, which is sufficient to supply power to approximately 500 homes.
Improves Air Quality
When used for temperature control and lighting, traditional power sources such as gas and coal emit pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and mercury, negatively affecting the area’s air quality, harming nature, and resulting in health issues like COPD and pneumonia over time. Solar, on the other hand, has no direct emissions. Replacing traditional power sources with solar, even partially, will displace the production of these pollutants and lead to improvements in air quality.
Doesn’t Use Water
Power plants need a lot of water to keep cool, which can negatively impact areas with reduced rainfall or smaller bodies of water. But because solar panels can cool down without any liquid, they can help reduce the amount of water that goes into powering non-renewable energy sources, protecting aquatic life and reducing groundwater usage.
Doesn’t Emit Greenhouse Gasses
Climate change is a significant concern worldwide. Because traditional energy sources emit heat-trapping greenhouse gasses, there’s a global push to switch to clean energy options. While the production of solar panels results in some emissions, they don’t emit anything when generating power, meaning they’re far less problematic in the long run and can reduce total emissions when replacing other power sources.
Generally Encourages Sustainability
The fact that solar panels are common knowledge at all ties back to the fascination with the first solar panel in 1883. As people have continued to improve on them, they’ve become more widespread and appealing, and they have helped facilitate conversations about sustainability and clean power. As more people adopt solar (or other clean energy sources, for that matter), global awareness of environmental issues will increase, leading to both broader usage and increased general mindfulness about sustainability and eco-friendliness.
The bottom line on solar is that it can benefit the environment on not just a local level, but a global one, too. With climate change becoming a noticeable reality for many, widespread adoption of clean, non-pollutive energy sources is a crucial step to protecting the planet’s future and becoming a greener society.
Published By: Aize Perez
