Climate change is an ever debatable topic in our society. The questions of whether it is a conspiracy theory, the natural cycle of the world, or more, typically arise when it is addressed. Rather than igniting a heated debate based on theories, it is important to tackle the changes that need to be made to better our environment. Very few will debate that our country, and much of our world, is far too reliant on fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources are finally becoming a common topic in the world, and people are realizing the importance of adopting them. As solar power technology advances and becomes more accessible, it is vital to look into the impact one home’s conversion to solar power can have on the world, and the potential solar power has.

One of the tools Astralux uses when proposing a solar job is what is referred to as a SAT, or Solar Assessment Tool. This uses standard predictions of energy prices, average energy use, pollution and more to calculate the effect one solar system can have on the environment, and the owner’s pocket book. A standard home’s solar system size is generally around 5 kW, but for this example we will look at a hypothetical home installing a smaller, 3.36 kW system, and its impact. Based on our calculations, a system this size will prevent 5,208 pounds of coal from being burned every year, and take the harmful emissions of 1.1 cars per year off the road. Over 25 years of the system’s life, it is estimate that it will prevent 222,276 pounds of CO2, which is the leading green house gas, 640 pounds of NOx, which creates smog, 579 pounds of SO2, which causes acid rain, and 39 pounds of particulates that cause asthma. Furthermore, over 25 years this hypothetical solar system will offset the energy of 324,556 miles driven on an average car (or 12,982 miles per year), 1,058,456 hours lighting a 100 Watt bulb, or 58 average American televisions. To summarize, in 25+ years, this solar system would offset 85% of the average human’s harmful emissions.

A question on your mind may be where we currently get our energy from. The answer to that is, 49.8% coal, 19.9% nuclear, 17.9% natural gas, 6.5% hydroelectric, 3.0% petroleum, 2.3% other renewables, 0.4% other gases, and 0.2% other. In general, one kWh from the standard energy company means, 2.1 pounds of CO2 are released into the environment and 1.23 pounds of coal are burned. Do the math using that with your monthly energy bill, and you can see the impact you are having. The United States total energy use is 3.3 terawatts in a year (1 terawatt = 1 trillion watts). Considering the sun produces enough energy in one minute to power the earth for a year, the question is how that can be captured. All it would take to detain enough sun to power the earth for a year would be 160 billion square meters of land. Granted, that sounds like a decent amount, but when you consider the size of the United States, it is very possible. Furthermore, the idea is not that this space should be a chunk out of the middle of Kansas; think of it spread out over the rooftops of 300 million Americans, and the goal is reached. America has the potential to reduce its need for fossil fuels and to better our environment for our future generations. That answer is solar and other renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, biomass, etc.

What are you doing to reduce climate change? The little actions count and make a difference, but the big steps are right in front of you and just as easily accessible.

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Link: http://www.earthworks2009.com/

Come visit us at the 2009 Earthworks Expo at the Denver Merchandise Mart this weekend. Meet and talk with one of our experienced client service reps about solar energy! We'll be at booth 205-207.

Our CEO, Dr. Rande Treece, will be giving a talk entitled "Peak Oil, Climate Change, and Population Growth" in the Blue Whale Room on Saturday, August 22nd at 12:10pm. Click the link above for more details.

Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/green-cross-founder-mikhail-gorbachev-tells-oilmen-solar-power-investments-means-economic-recovery.php?daylife=1&dcitc=daylife-article

The following is a summary of an article found on TreeHugger.

The founder of Green Cross urged world leaders and the private sector to make big investments in solar power sooner than later in order to improve the current economic crisis and combat climate change. He said solar power needs big investments to expand and create significant effects and the current economic crisis can be used as a way to begin a new sustainable path that has been long overdue. The article also identifies the best and worst places for solar energy, with Germany leading and Russia at the bottom of the list of 16 countries. This article recognizes that although we are facing a challenging time due to the financial crisis, new opportunities are available that will not only correct the current situation, but create a cleaner and more economically efficient world through green technology such as solar.