Our planet has a big ball of free energy burning in the sky that can be used to produce the type of energy we need to run things. Not only does solar energy make sense – why wouldn’t you use this resource – but it is also much better for the environment, without having some of the damaging side effects associated with other forms of energy production.
Solar energy is important because it is clean energy that doesn’t harm the environment, and it is also financially beneficial through multiple channels. Solar energy gives you energy security by enabling self-sufficiency, improves global conditions by decreasing air pollution, and wastes less energy through transmission.
With so many reasons and others highlighting the importance of solar energy and how beneficial it can be, particularly in the long run, there are very few reasons not to switch to solar. With my 8 following reasons that will speak to everyone, read on to discover why you need to switch to solar energy.
1. Solar Power Is Good For The Environment
This clean, green source of energy is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint without you having to change your patterns of consumption. Once you’ve got a solar energy system installed, your day to day of getting your energy does not really change from when you’d get your power from the grid.
Aside from needing some water to keep your solar panels clean, there are no gas emissions and no other by-products that are bad for the environment. This means that in powering your living with solar energy, you directly contribute to a sustainable future, unlike traditional energy production, which relies heavily on fossil fuels.
2. Solar Power Gets You Off The Grid
Because traditional energy production relies on fossil fuels such as coal and gases, which are both bad for the environment and limited resources, it is a fairly volatile market, with prices changing often. Solar electricity both protects you against price volatility and helps you to be totally self-sufficient.
With the sun never changing its rates, you can enjoy cheap electricity and energy security through solar power. By installing a battery, you can store excess energy to be used at night time or on rainy days when low or minimal new energy is being produced.
3. Solar Power Uses Underutilized Land And Surfaces
Solar panels can take up a relatively small amount of space and be placed on surfaces that would otherwise not be utilized. Not only can they be used on unutilized land areas in the form of solar farms, but there are an increasing number of innovative ways in which to use solar panels and how to place them to minimize disturbance and maximize aesthetic appeal.
From being placed on the roofs of houses and buildings to being used as the screens on the side of balconies and walls, solar panels can be mounted flat along almost any surface that gets sunshine. This flexibility means that they take up very little space and can be accommodated easily in various settings.
4. Solar Power Causes Less Electricity Loss
If you think about the journey that your electricity takes from its source at the power plant to your house or office and the energy used to get it there, this long-distance transmission equates to power loss. Having solar energy on your rooftop or elsewhere on your property gives you a domestic source of power, minimizing the need for transportation.
In addition to this, the chances of service interruption will be lowered, as the source of power is usually on your property, and the lack of reliance on an external source with a further distance path from source to end consumer is beneficial to the consumer.
5. Solar Power Is A Free Source Of Energy
You save money on solar energy in the long term. While there are initial upfront costs to installing solar panels, perhaps a battery for storing the excess energy and connecting everything, this is almost it! No matter how much energy you use, you don’t pay extra. In fact, you can even make money on it by selling excess back to the grid!
The sun provides a free course of energy that will never run out, and not to utilize that makes no sense. While you will start saving money from the moment your solar energy system is turned on and starts functioning, the results in terms of savings are best seen over the long term.
6. Solar Power Provides Financial Benefits
Not only can solar power lower your electricity bills on a monthly basis, but it can also add value to your home. The resell value of homes typically increases with the addition of solar panels, more so than even a kitchen remodel or other typical features. In some places, net metering even allows you to sell excess solar energy produced back to the grid.
Installing solar provides a return on investment that you don’t get on regular utility bills. This means that solar panels add value through multiple channels as an investment.
7. Solar Power Improves World Health
The number of people suffering from air pollution is just as many as many other diseases such as malaria and HIV. Having clean air to breathe is a basic human right, and by not using energy that is produced by burning fossil fuels and contributing to air pollution globally, you are also playing a part in the global health system.
There are minimal side effects, including in the production of solar panels, that cause harm to the environment in any way, so both in terms of what goes into production, as well as the output, results in solar power being considered as clean energy.
8. Solar Power Provides A Stable Source Of Power
Depending on where you live, you may be subject to blackouts, with failure to provide electricity being commonplace, to some degree, from your provider. Having your own source provides security and means that you aren’t subject to powering your house according to an external schedule and capacity.