Solar Is Clean and Safe
Solar is a safe alternative which can replace current fossil fuels like coal and gas for generation of electricity that produce air, water, and land pollution.
World Wide Fund For Nature, also known as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), notes that electricity generation from fossil fuels causes pollution of air leading to acid rain, damaged forest areas, and affected agricultural production leading to loss of billions of dollars worldwide. Fracking in the U.S. uses thousands of liters of water mixed with chemicals for extraction contaminating the water used, along with nearby water bodies, and also causes earthquakes. Nuclear power pollutes water and land and has caused environmental catastrophes. Use of solar energy will eliminate these unsafe, unclean consequences from using conventional fossil fuels.
Prevents Destruction of Habitats
Pristine forests are destroyed for mining raw materials like fossil or nuclear fuels. Trees constantly remove and use carbon dioxide from the air to make their food, and this carbon is then stored in them. When forests are cut for mining raw materials for conventional energy, this major carbon sink disappears and also increases climate change. "Nine out of ten animals on land" live in forests, according to WWF, and a loss of habitats diminishes their populations. Switching to solar power is important to keep these habitats intact for the animals who live there as well as continue to keep the air clean.
Combats Climate Change
The "electric power sector accounted for 32% of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions in 2012," according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The emissions lead to a rise in global temperatures, and changes in weather patterns leading to a cascade of effects. Heat waves, and increase in disease-spreading insects cause health problems especially for children and the elderly.
Climate change has lead to increase in flooding and hurricanes due to disturbed weather patterns. Higher carbon dioxide concentration is making oceans acidic and killing marine life, like corals. Climate change causes extinct of species from Sub-Arctic Boreal forests to tropical Amazon forests. Higher temperatures result melting of polar ice caps, reducing habitats for wildlife and also increase sea level. This results in submersion and loss of land along the coast, displacing people. Irregular rainfall or increasing droughts affects agriculture and livelihoods of the weaker sections of society globally.
Solar power can restrict climate change as it produces no carbon emissions. The carbon footprint of solar panels can be offset in as quickly as four years time according to Greenpeace (myth 5).
Global warming has to be curbed to a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise, in accordance to the Paris Agreement of 2015. The U.S. committed to cut down emissions by 26-28% of 2005 levels by 2025. Solar energy is vital to meet these commitments.
Social and Economic Benefits
In early 2016 there was a 43% rise in solar installations, and by the second quarter U.S. had an installed capacity of 31.6 gigawatts (GW) enough to power 6.2 million homes reports the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Small and Decentralized Electricity Source
Solar energy's greatest attraction is that it can be produced on a small scale directly by the end consumers in contrast to large centralized conventional energy sources controlled by large corporations.
Solar energy is suitable for heating and electricity generation using photo-voltaic cells installed on roof-tops of individual buildings. This is useful as decentralized sources of electricity for households and commercial businesses, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Solar water heating and passive solar designing of buildings to cool or heat space are other solar technologies available for individual buildings according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Medium-sized systems for community level power generation are also becoming popular. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Energy.gov) analysis stated that 13 states in U.S. installed 100 megawatts (MW) in 2015 alone, and residential units reached 2 gigawatts. Community solar installations of 100 MW were installed between 2010-2015. These installations are important to keep communities running at a lower cost for everyone
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