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Solar electric power and pollution

Millie HennickAugust 7, 2018 933 0

Solar electric power and pollution

The troubling effects of global warming are making renewable energy sources gradually much more popular. The prices of solar panels continue to decline, making it a wise investment for more and more homeowners.

How solar panels generate electricity

Photovoltaic and solar-thermal panels generate free electricity by converting sunlight into electricity or transferring the sun's heat to heating and ventilation systems. The use of solar panels to generate energy provides many benefits, which include reductions in the costs associated with generating electricity. Solar panels also provide pollution-free power sources and allow new levels of energy independence to consumers.

Solar energy helps replace toxic coal power

Coal power plants filter their emissions, but trace amounts of toxic particulates penetrate air filtering systems and enter the atmosphere. Mercury is among the pollutants that enter the air from coal power plant emissions, and it can contaminate local ecological systems and harm plants, wildlife and human inhabitants. Because solar power is emissions-free, it is much safer for the environment.

Conservation of Resources

Solar panels convert light from the sun into heat and electricity, therefore they require no other source of fuel. Coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power systems rely on nonrenewable resources to generate power.

Preserving the habitats adversely affected by coal mining

Coal and uranium mining are often devastating to their local environments. Heavy equipment, waste products and large-scale destruction of local habitats can make the land surrounding a mine worthless after the mine’s useful life. Coal mining is also dangerous to the workers who operate the mines and many deaths have resulted from this extremely toxic energy form. The use of solar panels eliminates these hazards to both miners and the environment.

Reducing the need for nuclear power

Nuclear power is sometimes classed as a clean or "green" energy source because of the lack of air pollution associated with it, but nothing could be further from the truth. Nuclear fission reactors are controversial because of the long-lasting nuclear waste they produce and the possibility of catastrophic events, such as the Chernobyl meltdown and the Fukushima meltdowns.

Reducing the costs of electricity

Once a solar panel is built, it operates without cost. In some situations, solar panels can be used to supplement existing power sources to reduce the cost of energy. In power systems where all of the electricity is supplied by solar and other renewable energy sources, such as wind or hydroelectric, electricity is produced completely free of cost.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar. 

Solar system price checker

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