When it comes to renewable energy, solar energy is perhaps the most important resource human beings have direct access to. While there may be many other sources of carbon-neutral energy, solar energy should always be part of any holistic plan for achieving the energy efficiency that civilization will need to overcome the challenges of both the present and the future. Below are just some of the clean energy benefits of solar energy.
Solar Energy Is Inexhaustible
Most of the earth’s precious resources are finite. If human beings keep pumping oil from deep below the surface of the earth, there will be no more oil to pump at some point. The amazing thing about solar energy, however, is that it is indeed a natural resource that is completely inexhaustible. According to data provided by NASA, it will take 5 billion years for the sun to run out of energy. Considering recorded history only stretches back some 5 thousand years, that’s a long way to go. For all practical purposes, the rays of the sun are a permanent energy source that human beings can tap into.
Solar Energy Can Be Stored
Many decades ago, there was once a question about the viability of long-term solar energy storage on a level that would make a significant difference for businesses, homeowners and other entities. Today, however, that viability is no longer a question. Cutting-edge solar panel and battery storage designs have changed this. The solar panel in question will charge the battery, and this energy can then be used to power electronics, appliances or anything else well after the sun goes down. Such a system can provide a very strong return on investment, especially since its capability for storing energy can be quite high.
Solar Energy Does Not Harm the Environment
Unfortunately, many of the fuels human beings use to power the things they need for their daily lives produce an inordinate amount of pollution. In certain cases, this pollution can end up having a cumulative negative effect on the environment. This may very well be the case for all the carbon-based fuels, such as oil, that could be contributing to increasingly warm earth. Global warming is a problem that could have serious consequences for future generations.
Thankfully, there are carbon-neutral fuel sources that do not have any such negative impact in regards to contributing to things like climate change. One of these is certainly solar energy. The rays of the sun travel to the surface of the earth every day regardless of whether or not they are collected in solar panels. Collecting and harnessing that power does not add any chemicals, pollution or other negative byproducts into the environment.
Solar Energy Is Reliable
One myth is that solar energy isn’t very reliable. This is believed by many because it’s hard to predict how much cloud cover there will be during a given day. While the weather is certainly a variable to consider, it’s rather easy to predict how much sun a certain geographic location will receive over an extended period of time given data about the climate and weather trends of that place historically.
As such, it’s quite easy to estimate just how much solar energy can be produced over a week, month or year. There is also, of course, the fact that the sun will always come up tomorrow. Predicting things like the actions of OPEC in regard to the number of barrels of oil it allows to be produced is much more difficult.
Solar Energy Creates Jobs
There are, of course, many direct benefits to using solar energy as a fuel source for your home or business. However, there are also indirect benefits you should consider for society as a whole. For one, solar energy is a growing industry with high prospects for future employment. Designing, manufacturing and installing solar panels requires a decent amount of labor and brain power.
As the use of solar panels increases, the need for workers and engineers to facilitate their use also increases. If you are concerned about the future of employment in the United States, the solar power industry may become a significant employer if the use of solar panels continues to grow at the current rate.
Overall, there are many benefits to utilizing solar energy. It helps to create jobs, and it is a reliable, eco-friendly and inexhaustible fuel source that can be stored for future use. It really is an amazing technology you can yield to benefit your home or company. Consider installing solar panels and batteries on your own buildings.
