The real impact of solar energy on the environment:
Over the years we have heard more and more about green energy. As we grow in our understanding of science and the harmful effects of the use of fossil fuels on our planet, it only makes sense we would talk more and more about a way’s to cut the use of fossil fuels down. Yet how big a difference can solar realistically make? Well in today’s reason to go solar I aim to shed light on this important question.
The reality of environmental devastation:
When many of us think about climate change we think of things like the film An Inconvenient Truth, the formation of the IPCC, and the growing talk in the media about climate issues since the late 1980s. Fun fact, the science that discovered all of this actually took off in the late 19th century.
In truth the issue has been present as long as we have used resources like coal, oil, and natural gases, if not longer. The real catch is that natural gas and other fossil fuel do not just emit green house gases when burned, but also emit methane while being drilled or mined. These emission
If you are like me, you may have found, or find, yourself wondering just how much damage has really been done?
- The effects of greenhouse gas emissions have increase the temperature globally at least 1.34℉ over the last decade according to National Geographic.
- Harmful gas emission from Nitrogen oxide and Sulphur dioxide contribute to harmful air pollution that contributes to
- Acid Rain
- Respiratory ailments and infection
- Greenhouse gases as we call them are also considered to be a major factor in the destruction of the earths ozone layer which provides protection from harmful radiation from the sun.
Now on the surface these may seem not so bad but in reality if things don’t change it could one day spell disaster for our planet.
How can solar help?
The data on all “green” energy solutions ( referring to energy coming from a renewable source, I’ll cover this more in a later post) from wind turbines to Solar shows that emissions from these are a less than 1% into the environmental decay.
Solar in itself is shown to produce no harmful emissions or air pollution. This is from the units themselves and solar energy plants. When you take into account the amount of damage already done, which is irreversible, all you can do is hope to contribute to the stop of further harm. Now consider for a minute if every home in the United States switched to solar, it would effectively cut the need for use of fossil fuels in energy production. In turn we would effectively reduce the total emission vastly, allowing for the hope of a healthier planet for the future generations.
