3 Top Benefits of Solar Power

The growth of solar in both a residential and commercial setting all over the world in the past 10 years has been immense. Countries like Australia have been leading the pack with nearly 30% of all dwellings having solar. 

One of the most common benefits of solar that is discussed are the financial benefits. When you generate your own energy, you aren’t buying power from the grid. That means, for every kWh of electricity you consume from your very own rooftop power plant, it is money saved from the grid. 

 

While most people know that solar energy is green energy, there are a lot of questions about solar power’s environmental sustainability that go unanswered.

 

Considerations like what happens at the end of a systems life cycle or how long do they really last.

 

Here are the top 3 environmental benefits of solar that will impact the world today, and tomorrow. 

In 2021, most solar panel manufacturers are over solar panel performance warranties of over 20 years. You read that right, 20 years. Then when you factor in they will also have a corresponding performance warranty guaranteeing the output of over 20 years you have yourself an asset that is going to last you a long time.

 

While technology has come a long way over the past few years. Yet the panels that you install on your roof today will last you for many years to come. 

Solar panels are inherently recyclable. This is because it is quite simple to break them down into existing recycling streams. A regular solar panel can easily be broken down into some of the following more raw states. All that are hyper recyclable, high-grade aluminum, copper, PVC, and silver. 

Climate skeptics have used this as a negative talking point however it was only because there weren’t many solar panel facilities built yet. Times are changing, and recyclability is very high. 

So, when it is the end of one panel’s life, it is merely the beginning of others!

There is no surprise to this one. Solar panels produce cheap, clean, and green energy. The way solar works is using what is called the Photovoltaic Effect. We don’t always consider the sun as one giant ball of energy constantly working away, but that is what it is!

The Photovoltaic Effect is the generation of electricity when something is exposed to sunlight. In this case, the cells of the solar panel are exposed to sunlight. All this excites them, and the byproduct is DC energy. 

 

That energy is converted into electricity that your home can consume for all of its needs. Everything from lighting and heating to your fridge and electric car if you are so lucky. 

When you then factor in their fantastic life expectancy and inherently easy recyclability, what you have is an amazingly clean and green energy source that nearly anyone can access. 

The moral is, solar power is one of the greatest impacts individuals can have not only on the environment but on their hip pocket as well. If you don’t have solar on your home or business today, you really need to be asking yourself, why not?