How Solar Benefits SocietY

Picture from Theo of the Money Home blog

  • Solar energy is the absolute cleanest form of renewable energy currently known.

  • Solar energy is reliable and secure due to the sun’s energy being completely free to use and is a constant source of energy.

  • Solar power has little market fluctuation, fixed costs, and the price per kilowatt-hour has only gone down, which makes solar more affordable almost every day.

  • Solar energy also helps mitigate electric utility costs for homeowners and businesses.

  • Solar energy essentially pays for itself in a short period of time and would help offset these necessary costs in the future.

  • The United States gets nearly 40% of oil by import, but transitioning towards solar energy would help reduce this number and create a more energy independent country

Benefits to the Consumer

The initial investment into solar can be quite pricey at this stage of the industry, but there are options available to mitigate costs.

  • Many states offer incentive based programs for those who switch to solar power.

  • Savings vary state to state, but nearly all states have incentives, federal tax credits, and rebates available.

  • www.dsireusa.org is a database that shows the incentives offered state-by-state and allows the user to input their zip code to show a full list of incentives available in their area. This system is created and operated by the NC Clean Tech Center.

Map from www.yourchildlearns.com

SOLAR ENERGY

We offer up the following information to bring knowledge to the public to promote better living through solar energy. Through the spread of information, we hope to facilitate environmental change locally, nationally, and globally. We believe the use of solar energy to meet our energy needs will create a sustainable future for all.

Map from www.yourchildlearns.com

At the end of 2015, Congress passed a $1.15 trillion federal spending bill that extended for five years the federal tax credits for solar and wind related industries.

In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reductions Act that included support for building our solar energy infrastructure. Its importance is shown in this video by SEIA:

 

The ITC (Solar Investment Tax Credits) were only made possible due to years of perseverance and a plan executed to perfection by Solar Energy Industries Association.

The Department of Energy recently approved an $18 million budget spread over six projects that will help create cost-effective solar technologies that use energy storage to power homes overnight. The project is aimed to create an affordable way to incorporate solar energy into the nation’s grid.

We offer up the following information to bring knowledge to the public to promote better living through solar energy. Through the spread of information, we hope to facilitate environmental change locally, nationally, and globally. We believe solar energy will create a sustainable future.

Did you know?

Solar Power produces zero greenhouse gas emissions and has the most abundant source of energy in the known universe.

The amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans each year is equivalent to 40,000 times the total energy consumption of the U.S.****

Approximately 75 million barrels of oil and 35 million tons of carbon dioxide are saved annually by solar energy users.*

The amount of sunlight that hits the Earth in one minute is enough to meet the world’s energy demands for an entire year.*

Solar Energy only accounts for less than 1% of the current share of energy consumption.*

Over the last decade, China invested in solar to become the dominate manufacture of solar panels, while the unted states policy makers held back on supporting solar power manufacturing and installation.**

China, is the world’s leader in PV generation, had not installed any solar power until 2010. As of 2023, China has 430 gigawatts in PV capacity. The United States generates 141.8 gigawatts and Japan generates 84.9 gigawatts.***

*Fact is derived from: www.energyinformative.org/solar-energy-facts/
**Facts are derived from https://www.treehugger.com/where-are-solar-panels-made-5194436
***Fact is derived from: https://ornatesolar.com/blog/the-top-5-solar-countries-in-the-world

****Fact is drived from: https://theect.org/solar-energy-6-thing-may-not-know-fast-growing-industry/