Benefits Of Green Solar Energy
February 20, 2010
To truly understand the benefits of green solar energy, you must first understand how solar energy is harnessed. There are two types of green solar energy-thermal and light. Thermal energy is considered passive solar. This type of green solar energy is harnessed through the design and materials used to construct a building. By integrating south facing windows and materials that retain heat, like brick and stone, you can lower your energy needs and build an energy efficient structure. The thermal energy produced by green solar energy is also used to heat water for solar hot water systems. The rays of the sun also produce light and radiation that can be captured by solar panels to create electricity.
The most popular use of green solar energy is for saving money. Although green solar energy systems can come with a large initial investment, they generally pay for themselves in a few years by providing either supplemental electricity or all of the electricity to your home or business. Building your own solar panels, participating in government refunds and net metering, in which you sell unused electricity back to the power company, can reduce the cost of implementing a green solar energy system. In addition, green solar energy systems require little to no maintenance after installation, as most have no moving parts.
The most important benefit of utilizing green solar energy is completely environmental. With polar ice caps dwindling away and climate changes creating tragic storms world wide, it is increasingly obvious that steps must be taken to decrease global warming and our dependence on fossil fuels. Green solar energy provides a clean energy alternative as it creates little pollution and does not contribute to global warming.
Solar energy panels have become more affordable in recent years making it a viable alternative energy option for savvy home owners looking for savings on their monthly utility bills and the environmentally conscious who also enjoy the financial advantage, but focus more on the benefits solar energy panels have on global warming and independence from fossil fuels.
If you are a beginner to the solar electric world, then you may be wondering what exactly solar energy panels are? It is really simple and yet fascinatingly complicated. Solar energy panels are also known as photovoltaic panels; photovoltaic meaning electricity from the sun. Solar energy panels work by collecting protons from the sun, which displace neutrons, and create a flow of electrons or electricity. An inverter converts the power generated by the solar energy panels from an AC current to a DC current making it usable in homes as a direct electricity supply.
You can use solar energy panels to heat your pool, workshop tools, greenhouse lights and fans or depending on you personal electric usage, your entire home or business. Most solar energy panels are designed to last 30-40 years and require little to no maintenance. Over the life-span of solar energy panels, the energy savings realized by the owner is enough to justify the initial cost of the system and prices are dropping more and more as a larger number of consumers express interest and make the change to solar energy panels or other renewable resources.
Solar energy panels for small applications can be purchased at your local hardware stores. These small versions are ideal for outdoor lighting, small water pumps and other outdoor tools. If you are purchasing a home size or business size system of solar energy panels it would be best to seek out a local retailer of solar energy panels or a green energy retailer in your area. There is also plenty of information available online about different solar energy panel providers.
Corrado Vinci
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/benefits-of-green-solar-energy-679319.html
is solar energy green or is it bad for the environment? if so how?
are there medical hazards or medical benefits?
green
Solar energy uses the light from the sun, which is hitting the Earth anyway to make electrical power without burning fuel or polluting in any way.
In all fairness, the manufacturing of solar cells may create some pollution, but it is more than compensated for over he life of the cells.
References :
totally green, although, I do belive their fabrication is pretty involved. Im’ sure that when the long lasting pannels are weighed in cost efficiency from fabrication to lifespan of device they are still quite green.
References :
This is an interesting question because of the way it is worded.
Solar energy itself is actually a nuclear reaction which is in reality the driving force behind global warming. Carbon dioxide (and other GHGs) traps incident solar energy and the Earth warms.
Solar energy itself is actually completely green. Really, it is one of the pillars of life on our planet, as it drives photosynthesis and provides primary consumers with food, which in turn enables complex ecosystems to be built.
However, I believe that you are asking about whether or not the use of solar panelling is a green source of energy or not. In order to evaluate this question effectively, one would have to complete a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on the panels for comparison against some benchmark.
I think that you will find that the energy required for the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells (solar panels) is considerably higher than expected. This is compared on what is called an Energy Payback Timeline.
As for health concerns, many photovoltaics (PVs) require the use of cadmium in their production, but that does not necessitate any heavy metal concerns for the end user. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels for the production of the PVs can cause respiratory problems, but no more than other industries, and, again, this isn’t an issue for the end user.
Some good reading for this topic on Wikipedia that is fairly credible.
Hope that helps a little bit.
Cheers.
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
Scroll down to environmental impacts.
Solar energy is green, definitely. Yes it takes the necessary materials to make it but you get more back in the long run.
The thing with solar energy is that it produces very little energy and a lot of panels are needed to produce a sufficient amount of it. Many people use it just as an extra boost and very little people make even up to 20% of energy from solar.
References :
for the s
References :
Currently, I am pretty sure there is nothing environmentally harmful from solar power. It is one of the most green alternative energy sources. It is not used wisely because right now, it is too expensive to be feasible for most energy.
References :
Solar energy is abundant and if good engineering is used to make efficient systems all the energy needed by humans can be obtained from solar. Its very good but at this time nothing good has been accomplished because poor engineering has been established that makes solar impractical for most people and only available to the rich. It is just a matter of being willing to use good engineering and solar will prevail over the all alternatives.
References :
The payback on solar PV systems was 3 years. CO2 released in manufacturing the cells versus ongoing clean energy. I believe ethanol was 30 years for existing farm land, and 300 years if a forest had to be destroyed to plant the corn.
References :
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=1119 – 48k
its green, it doesnt emit any gases that would hurt the environment or people
References :
Solar energy is totally green and has sustained our planet for millions of years. Humans should use sun-block to keep from getting an overdose.
Now, when it comes to solar panels it depends on who’s environment you are talking about.
If you mean THE OVERALL WORLD ENVIRONMENT every consumer product made creates stress on the over all picture. Solar panels probably create slightly less than coal plants but overall, all manufacturing is bad for the planet.
If you mean the END-USER’S ENVIRONMENT it is pretty good. Lower energy costs, less pollution in your back yard, etc.
If you mean the PRODUCERS ENVIRONMENT then it gets a lot worse. Heavy metal contamination, pollution, low working wages, air and water pollution. Making solar panels is a dirty, and ecologically expensive job.
So I guess it is up to you to decide if you want solar panels and if you want to live with the real costs of them.
References :