Using solar energy can have a positive indirect effect on the environment when solar energy replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment.
How does solar energy affect the environment negatively.
Solar energy comes with its own environmental challenges regarding land use water consumption emissions and the use of hazardous materials.
In order to collect that solar energy we use efficient solar panels and a 2018 world economic forum report states that the world will add 70 000 new panels every hour over the next three years.
Let s shine a light on those environmental impacts and determine if the good outweighs the bad when it comes to solar energy and the environment.
All energy sources have some impact on our environment.
Enough solar energy falls on a 100 square mile area of the.
Coal power requires just as much land per unit of energy if the land used in strip mining is taken into account.
Fossil fuels coal oil and natural gas do substantially more harm than renewable energy sources by most measures including air and water pollution damage to public health wildlife and habitat loss water use land use and global warming emissions.
However renewable sources such as wind solar geothermal biomass and.
We ll now take a look at the positive environmental effects that solar can have.
Positive negative effects of solar energy.
All forms of electricity generation have an environmental impact on our air water and land but it varies.
Of the total energy consumed in the united states about 40 is used to generate electricity making electricity use an important part of each person s environmental footprint.
Yes vast amounts of energy are required to mine manufacture solar panels and yes chemicals are used during the manufacturing process.
The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power land use and habitat loss water use and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing can vary greatly depending on the technology which includes two broad categories.
How does energy use impact the environment.
The one major impact of solar technology is it expansive use of land.
Solar energy systems power plants do not produce air pollution water pollution or greenhouse gases.
The sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity without toxic pollution or global warming emissions.
Solar energy has the potential to dramatically change the way the world gets its power.
These two irrefutable facts do not equate to solar panels having a net negative impact though as the data suggests.
While those numbers are incredible the impact they will have on the environment is not so much.
One of the key positive impacts that solar energy can have on the environment is the carbon reduction they offer.
The energy required to create a solar panel will be recouped in less than 2 years.
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