THE BENEFITS OF SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is a natural, unlimited and renewable energy source that emits no gases or by-products that contaminate the environment or the air. People all over the globe install solar panels to help cut down on electricity costs. The use of solar energy does not only save you money,the environment benefits too.
Solar panels are placed in open fields or the rooftop of buildings; hence, takes up no space; neither does it inconvenience you. The benefits of solar energy are:
Saves water which is the main requirement for survival to flora and fauna: Each new day is a close risk of running short of water. Regular electricity production entirely depends on water. Tons of liters of water are used during production to cool off generators, refine fuel, and to help transport the fuel in pipes. Solar panel on the other hand, needs no water to convert sunlight into energy. The more people install and switch to using solar energy, the more precious commodity is saved.
Solar energy does not pollute the air:During the production of electricity, there are many byproducts emitted into the atmosphere threatening the natural air we depend on to breath. These gases are carbon dioxide and methane, and they are toxic hence endangering our health each new day. They are also blamed for causing some cancers.
Widespread use of solar energy slows climate change: Toxic gases produced during the generation of electricity enhance the greenhouse effect, not to mention air pollution. The greenhouse effect takes place when the earth’s surface is warmed to high temperatures. This is influenced by human activities. Most catastrophic events happening today are blamed on the planet’s warming. The use of solar energy reduces these human activities hence reducing the effects of climate change. Powering a household or work plant with solar energy cuts down on pollution in the environment and the air.
Solar energy reduces the cabin footprint: Solar energy is clean, efficient, and sustainable for your household or workplace. Carbon dioxide is produced mostly during the generation of electricity and also during consumption. Solar panels have no emissions whatsoever hence guarantee of no carbon footprint if you depend on the natural energy.
Solar energy reduces the dependence on fossil fuels: Installing the proper solar panels in size and energy production means that your home can run without regular electricity. Automatically the demand for electricity goes down; hence, the fear of fossils running out is reduced.Fossils may be in high supply or availability today, but in the future, they may run out.
It has Zero energy production costs: Solar does not need outside supply, attachment, or support to work. Its maintenance and energy production costs stand at zero.The only cost you incur is when you purchase your panels and installing them. You can invest in power-saving batteries, an inverter to save energy for later use like at night. It takes years to do maintenance on the panels.
Little or no loss of energy during transportation: Regular electricity is produced then supplied to substations. It is further distributed to customers, some of whom are far away from the substation. During this process, some energy is lost. It may be little per supply, but it amounts to much when supplied to many. These are some troubles unknown to solar energy users. Solar energy is harnessed easily and used directly from the source. Its transportation is within the source, minimizing distance covered and energy loss of any kind.
Versatile installation: Installing solar panels is easy, and one can do it on their own with a manual guide. No restrictions as to where they can be mounted as long as it is direct to the sun for maximum absorption of sunlight.This simplicity facilitates its installation for small scale use as well as a large scale depending on demand. Electricity distribution to remote rural areas is expensive and almost unachievable. Solar energy is ideal for such places. Also, there are no more hassles after installation.
Energy produced coincides with the demand: Energy demands are high during the day and drop significantly in the night. Solar energy is ready to use and can be produced in excess then stored for future use.You just need to invest in powerful batteries, an inverter, and always remember to charge them during the day. You don’t need much power at night but choose batteries that store for you a good amount of energy.
Increased security of the power grid: The more people use solar energy, the demand for electricity goes down. The burden of supply eases, and the power grid has fewer problems to deal with like blackouts or voltage dips. No fires or overloads on transformers and no fires in substations.
It has economic savings: Since solar energy is harnessed from nature, which is the sun, the costs of production, distribution, and maintenance are greatly reduced.
After your initial installation, which must be done well to ensure maximum output and efficiency, you have no more bills to settle only an unlimited supply of clean power.
Impact on the environment: Solar energy has no effect on the environment as it does not produce any by-products. No waste is generated in this process, either.Also, it may take you years to carry out maintenance on your installed panels because they are built to withstand harsh weather conditions. They are permanently fixed on your rooftop or open yard hence no wear and tear at all!
Positive impact on the economy: Widespread use of solar energy creates jobs that impact the economy of a certain area positively. Not every solar panel owner is able or will want to self-install their panels. Hiring a professional to do so creates jobs, and in return, the economy grows.
SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES
Renewable energy is going to be an important source of power generation in the near future, because we can use these resources again and again to produce useful energy.
Social Impacts:
The social impact includes improvement of health, choice of consumer, advancement in technologies, and opportunities for the work, but some basic considerations should be taken for the benefit of humans, for example, climate conditions, level of education and standard of living and region whether urban or rural from agricultural point of view. Social aspects are the basic considerations for the development of any country. The following special benefits can be achieve by renewable energy systems: local employment, better health, job opportunities, and consumer choice.
Economic Impacts:
Renewable energy projects provide benefits in economic point of view because they utilize local labour from rural areas, local shareholders, and services of local banks. In addition, the renewable energy projects have facilitated the communities by establishing a trust fund that aims to invest the money earned by selling electricity in local economy. This makes it easy for a few communities to invest money on small business of their own choice. The consumers will be provided with electric power at a low cost as compared to that of conventional energy sources, and overall economy will be enhanced because there will be multiple options to generate power using different renewable energy sources present in that region
Environmental Impacts:
Renewable energy projects have also contributed in improving environmental impacts such as reduction of carbon dioxide gas, awakening community about the climate change. Significant impacts is observed in improvement of life standard, social bonds creating, and community development. Renewable energy projects are complex to install and are local environmental and condition sensitive.