Role of Solar Energy in Climate improvement

Climate change is probably humanity's biggest challenge today. Over the past 25 years, the average global temperature has risen by one degree Celsius. Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere warm the earth, resulting in more intense rain, hurricanes, and higher temperatures.

The government has focused on policies to reduce emissions so far. However, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to rise.

While we all want to do our part to help save the planet, many of us don't know how we can make a difference. What if there was an easy way to save the planet? Solar energy has been proven as a clean and sustainable alternative that can be used to fulfill our energy demands. This includes providing energy for running our electrical appliances and even running electric cars! More people need to know about it. Read on to learn more about the role of solar energy in combating climate change.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.

From the moment we wake up in the morning and turn on the lights or look at our cell phones to the moment we go to bed at night and use our AC or Fans. We all are using energy all the time. And this energy is almost entirely based on fossil fuels. When we burn fossil fuel, it produces carbon dioxide as a waste product. Carbon dioxide acts as a blanket, it absorbs heat radiation from the earth's surface. This keeps the atmosphere warmer. The problem is we are adding up carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases because of which the thickness of the blanket is increasing.

Before the beginning of the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million. It’s now over 416.45 parts per million. As a result of enormous levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, our world has become one degree hotter than in pre-industrial times.

One degree Celsius global rise in temperature might not sound much but it’s having a dramatic effect on our weather. The planet has warmed up, which will result in more intense and frequent heat waves. The soils will get dried out thus we might get the worst drought. Currently, we are seeing extreme heat waves in the capital city of India due to this climate change.

The other impact that climate change will have on human beings as well as animals is that their bodies will struggle to adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions. Some scientists believe that certain species might become extinct solely because of climate change. This isn’t just about losing the wonders of nature. The loss of even the smallest organism will destabilize the ecosystem. The network that supports all of life on earth. Extinction of species will create a dis-balance in the ecosystem. Once the species becomes extinct, then it cannot be brought back.

Pointing out the problems is not enough, we need to bring the solution as well.

How Solar Energy is the solution to Climate problems?

The demand for energy is increasing at an exponential rate. With the current state of fossil fuels, it is unlikely that this trend will change ‌soon. In order to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas production, we need other sources of energy that can be easily produced.

The world has ample sunlight and if we can harvest it for sustainable energy we can fulfil the energy demand of every human. Solar energy is not only abundant but also a clean source of power. Fossil fuels will run out one day, but solar will not.

In contrast to fossil fuel-based energy solar energy is clean. Fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity. As a result, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 22% of greenhouse gas comes from industries, 28% from energy production and 11% of emission is contributed by commercial and residential buildings. However, solar panels do not release harmful gases into the environment. In the process of transforming light into energy, solar panels have zero emissions. Although manufacturing solar panels is energy-intensive as it uses fossil fuels. Even after accounting for the manufacturing process, the nature of producing non polluting energy fully compensates for it.

The adoption of solar power has contributed to improving the overall health of the environment and curbing global warming. As more people adopt solar power, it reduces our national carbon footprint, which will contribute to the fight against global warming and climate change.

Solar panels save the environment from the adverse effects of coal-fired power plants and other sources of electricity. This is because when we install a solar plant of 1000kW capacity, it will offset 730 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in a year. If we say in terms of trees, a tree can absorb as much as 22kg of carbon dioxide a year. So going solar will offset planting around 33,183 trees(No. of trees = CO2 offset/CO2 absorbed by a single tree).

Solar energy is the best renewable energy source and is becoming popular, thanks to its many advantages. If you have a house or office space, then solar panels are an excellent investment as they can easily be installed and provide electricity that is also clean, pollution-free and green.

The solution to combat the irreversible effects of global warming and climate change is to adopt clean, renewable energy sources. Solar energy offers an alternative to fossil fuels, it is also creating energy independence. While we cannot choose what our environment will be like 100 years from now, we can make an impact by making changes today. A single person can also make a difference in reducing his or her contribution to climate change by using solar power at home.

Get in touch with us to reduce your carbon footprint.