There are many reasons to invest in solar panels – energy savings, energy independence, and to add value to your home. Another major reason is to help reduce your footprint and do your part to protect our environment. There are many harmful effects of climate change, which is caused in large part due to energy consumption, and one way to make a positive impact on this front is to add solar to your home or business. The positive environmental impact of solar can be immense, especially if the majority of buildings in a region adopt the technology.

When talking about the environmental impact of solar, consider the following:

• Offset Carbon Emissions – When you make the switch to solar, you’ll be helping to offset many tons of carbon emissions over the 30-year life of the system. The exact calculation depends on the size of your system and energy use, but overall you will greatly reduce the amount of carbon your household emits. Another way to look at this is that by adding solar to your home, you’ll have the equivalent effect of planting more than 150 trees every year!
  
• Health Benefits – The more that people adopt solar, the less detrimental pollutants we’ll find in the air. NREL (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) recently released a report finding that “widespread solar adoption would significantly reduce nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter emissions, all of which can cause health problems.”
  
• Reduce Water Pollution and Waste – Traditional oil, gas, and coal power plants use thousands of gallons of water every day to produce energy. Solar panels do not rely on any water in the energy production process, and there is no chance of contaminating water in the energy production process as power plants do on a regular basis.
• Infinite Energy – Here at Sandbox Solar, we talk about this a lot, but it’s still true. We will eventually run out of coal and natural gas. Furthermore, we will always be somewhat dependent on other countries and harmful practices to gather this source of energy. Sunshine is 100% renewable and readily available for all.

No method of generating power is 100% clean; we would be remiss if we didn’t include a few of the negative effects of solar technology. In the solar manufacturing process, some hazardous chemicals are used that, if not handled properly, can be dangerous. Furthermore, inherently there is energy spent in the manufacturing process that must be considered. And finally, when solar panels are out of commission after as many as 30 years of use, there is a recycling process that must happen to ensure the panels do not simply become waste.

While there is always a positive and negative side to every form of energy consumption, it’s generally accepted that solar is one of the best alternatives when taken as a whole. When considering the environmental impact of solar, most agree the benefits outweigh the risks. Investing in solar energy with a local solar panel installation company is a great way to reduce your footprint and make a positive difference in the fight against climate change.

If you’re ready to learn more about the positive environmental impact of solar and what solar would look like for your home or business, please contact Sandbox Solar. We’re your Northern Colorado solar providers, and we’re here to help you make the transition to green energy with solar. Please contact us to learn more about the positive environmental impact of solar and how we can work together to make a positive change in your consumption.