What are the environmental benefits of solar energy?

Environmental Benefits of Solar Energy

In Canada both utilities and homeowners are selecting solar energy at a quicker rate now than ever before. The explosive increase of solar power is partially a result of the declining price of solar panels. Incentives and rebates also have contributed to the Canada’s largest year ever for solar. However, reducing prices are only one of the many advantages of solar energy. It’s also possible to improve your health, as well as protect the environment by decreasing your reliance on fossil fuels, as well as installing a solar energy system in your business or home. If you are considering changing your house to solar, it is worth taking a couple of minutes to consider these three environmentally-friendly benefits:

Solar decreases air pollution  

Dangerous methane emissions and carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, our traditional source of energy, are top contributors to decreased air quality and global warming. However, producing electricity through the use of solar panels generates no greenhouse gasses at all. As a matter of fact, the solar capacity presently installed across Canada is expected to offset as high as 16.8 million metric tons of CO2 per year. That is a big step towards mitigating the impact of climate change.

Solar decreases water pollution

While all processes of manufacturing require water, solar photovoltaic cells do not require water to produce electricity. It’s one of the biggest, but least discussed environmental advantages of solar. Traditional biomass, as well as geothermal power plants, like coal-fired and natural gas facilities, require huge quantities of water to facilitate their essential cooling needs. With solar energy there’s no pollution of local water resources, nor will their operation strain local supplies via the competition with drinking systems, agriculture, and other critical water requirements.

Solar decreases the requirement for finite resources

Solar is renewable. The sun is earth’s most abundant source of energy, generating a whopping 173,000 terawatts of solar energy each second. That is over 10,000 times earth’s overall combined energy consumption, and it may be used repeatedly. Fossil fuels, in contrast, are non-renewable and as they might seem in abundance these days, there is going to come a time when the earth will run out. Or, the price of extracting and finding these sources are going to become too costly. By that time, the resulting destruction to our environment and financial infrastructure might be unrepairable. Immediately changing to solar is the best method of hedging against the reality of finite fuel sources.

Call the experts of Powertec Solar

To conclude, going solar not just assists you in saving money, it will also benefit the environment. If you’re curious about learning more information on the environmental advantage of solar energy and if it’s the right option for you, we welcome you to ask for a free customized solar quote from one of our friendly solar professionals today.

For more information on the environmental benefits of solar energy contact the high-quality solar panels and installation services of Powertec Solar today!