Why Are Solar Powered Houses Good for the Environment?

Global Climate

• Unlike solar power generation, coal fired power plants and coal mining emit greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane. Theses pollutants in the atmosphere contribute to the greenhouse effect, when solar radiation enters the atmosphere, bounces off the earth's surface and cannot escape through the layer of greenhouse gases. As a result, the mean global temperature increases causing global climactic havoc such as rising sea level, more intense storms and local climate fluctuation that disrupts local ecosystems.

Air Pollution

• In addition to greenhouse gases, coal power plants emit other air pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury compounds and particulates into the atmosphere. These emissions cause numerous problems for ecosystems, water pollution and human health.

  Radiation is also an environmental concern associated with both nuclear and coal plants. Uranium, thorium and potassium 40 are radioactive elements found in trace levels in coal. When coal burns for electricity generation, these radioactive elements out-gas to the atmosphere. Solar energy generation does not emit radiation or other pollutants.

Water Supply and Pollution

• Both water availability and water quality suffer from traditional power generation, but not from solar power generation. Coal and nuclear plants use large quantities of water for operation, depleting groundwater and reducing the availability of freshwater for municipal use.

  Direct pollution of natural water sources occurs when runoff from coal mines and coal storage piles outside power plants carries acid and heavy metal pollution into streams and rivers. Water sources are polluted indirectly when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions cause acid rain and mercury compounds released from smoke stacks make their way into surface water and groundwater.

Pollution from Solar Power Generation

• Solar power generation does not pollute, but this does not mean the life-cycle of solar energy systems is completely clean. Production of solar panels and other solar system components does produce some greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and water pollution, but it is significantly less than other means of electricity generation. Pollution occurs in the manufacturing process of solar components and in transportation of goods and materials. However, this pollution is a onetime occurrence in the life-cycle of solar panels and additional solar devices. After the initial production, solar electric systems go on to produce clean electricity for decades.