What Are The Main Environmental Benefits Of Solar In 2024?

If you haven’t gone solar in Central Florida yet, what are you waiting for? Florida is the perfect state to harness the power of the sun due to our ample year-round sunshine, and doing so can help curb your carbon emissions over your lifetime.

Still not convinced? Our team at Solar Bear Orlando shares why 2024 is a great time to reap the amazing environmental benefits of going solar.

Let’s get into it!

The Environmental Benefits of Residential Solar

As a clean and renewable energy resource, solar power produces no harmful emissions and has a minimal impact on the environment.

While coal, natural gas, and oil are traditional energy sources that have been used for decades, solar power does not generate any greenhouse gases or pollutants that contribute to climate change and bad health around the world.

Carbon Emissions

Carbon emissions have been a hot topic in the news over the past few years, and for good reason. As these emissions, also known as greenhouse gases, blanket the Earth’s atmosphere, the sun’s heat is trapped within—hence the name “global warming.”

This warming has begun to change weather patterns that disrupt the overall balance of nature.

Solar power produces no carbon emissions, making it one of the cleanest energy sources on the market today.

Energy Independence

Energy independence is one of the main benefits of solar power, not just on the homefront but environmentally. With Florida’s ample sunshine, solar power is a reliable and sustainable source of energy that is not subject to pricing fluctuations that homeowners often experience with traditional energy sources.

Reducing reliance on utility companies and becoming more self-sufficient not only helps Floridians save money but has a far-reaching impact on the environment.

Solar’s Reliability

One of our favorite benefits of solar power is that it is reliable and can provide power during power outages, inclement weather, and emergencies.

On the other hand, traditional energy sources that come from fossil fuels can be interrupted due to weather disasters, supply chain disruptions, and other factors. Solar systems can operate independently of the grid, offering power when other systems fail.

This can be greatly beneficial during hurricane season here in Florida. Depending on the size of your system, you could power your air conditioner, refrigerator, lights, and more if the power is out due to a storm.

The Impact of Manufacturing Solar Panels

While solar panels don’t produce emissions when they are mounted on your roof, they aren’t entirely emission-free over their entire lifetime. They must be manufactured and then recycled at the end of their useful life, and there are some environmental impacts due to these processes.

Generally, the environmental impact of solar power is framed around what’s known as the energy payback time (EPBT). This illustrates how long it takes for solar panels to produce enough clean energy to “payback” the energy and resources needed to manufacture them.

This is calculated based on:

• The productivity of your solar system. Living in a sunny region like Florida, your system will generate more electricity and will have a shorter EPBT.
• The manufacturing process. Some solar cells require more energy to be produced than others. Thin-film modules have a smaller environmental footprint than silicon modules since they use less energy during the manufacturing process.
• Where the panels were manufactured. Solar panels have to be transported from when they were manufactured. If they were built in a different country, they have a higher EPBT since they had to be transported to the United States and then installed.

As we make more strides in the production of more “green” solar panels here in the United States, the EPBT of solar will be much less and therefore will be that much more ecological.

Plus, as recycling processes become more streamlined, we will see more environmentally friendly practices that will further reduce the EPBT.

Go Solar in Central Florida

Ready to take advantage of Florida’s sunshine? We are called the Sunshine State after all! We’d love to assist you on your journey to energy independence by installing a solar system at your Orlando area home. Soon, you’ll be reaping the benefits of producing your household’s energy while making a positive impact on the environment. It’s a win-win!

Contact our friendly team at Solar Bear Orlando at (727) 471-7442 for a solar installation quote today!