Solar Power House – Will it actually help the environment that much?

One of the aspects in contemplating a solar power house is the supposed positive impact on the environment. I knew that saving 80% on my power bills by means of do-it-yourself solar power goods would have a positive impact on my pocket book but would it affect the environment. Would a solar power house truly support the environment that much? Here is what I learned.

Solar Power House – Carbon Footprint and Green House Gases

A carbon foot print is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by an individual, business or a product. Carbon dioxide is emitted to the air when fossil fuels are converted into energy. Fossil fuels contain crude oil, natural gas, etc.

Over the past decades, increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases have been found within the Earth’s atmosphere. It has been theorized by the scientific community that this may possibly result in an boost inside the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. There is not universal agreement on this subject.

Some house hold facts:

Given that electricity is so inefficient, it accounts for 71% of a household CO2 emission

One home’s electrical use is responsible for far more CO2 emissions than two cars

Electricity costs are growing between 5% and 10% annually

Each and every rotation of your meter is equal to 10 watts

Your home’s value increases when you add solar power

Utilities generate CO2 when they burn fossil fuels to develop electricity. By consuming electricity produced from fossil fuels, a typical home is responsible for about 22,000 pounds of CO2 every year

Payback for a solar system investment is typically between 9 and 15 years. But it Doesn’t Need to BE Much more THAN A couple of MONTHS!

Solar Power House – Incentives

Additionally to tax credits, some states are proposing a “feed-in tariff” similar to what was recently enacted in Gainesville, Florida to improve interest in solar power. “Feed-in tariffs” are basically where an utility will pay you drastically much more than the going rate for electricity in case you feed back solar electricity into the grid. 1 utility in Michigan is proposing $0.65/kwh. This can be a significant quantity once you think about the state average is $0.11/kwh. There’s a bright outlook for solar power incentives. No pun intended.

Solar Power House – Additional Figures

The US leads the world (a bad thing) in carbon emissions at 22%, followed by China at 17%

Over 200,000 homes in the US use solar panels in some way

Solar panels covering 0.3% of the US would present all their electrical needs

You’ll find 10,800,000 terawatts of non-renewable energy available by means of nuclear or fossil fuels

There are 350,000,000 terawatts obtainable from the sun

With only 15 minutes of full sunlight, we could have enough solar energy to offer electricity for everyone inside the entire world for a full year

In Germany, some homeowners rent their neighbors rooftops to mount solar panels and receive money for the additional electricity they feed back into the grid.

1 KW of solar energy is equivalent to the energy output of burning 170 pounds of coal resulting in 300 pounds of CO2

Fossil fuels are nonrenewable. There’s a finite amount accessible. They’ll ultimately diminish either becoming to expense or too environmentally damaging to collect. Solar and wind energy on the other hand is constantly replenished and will in no way run out.

Solar Power House – Conclusion

You will find some quite compelling arguments that burning of fossil fuels to produce energy just isn’t helping our environment. It is also pretty difficult to fight the reality to there is certainly only a finite quantity of fossil fuels offered. Although we may well not run out in our lifetime, what about our upcoming and forthcoming generations!

Solar energy can have a rewarding effect on the environment and on your pocket book.