What are the benefits of Solar?

Solar Benefits - My Family's Environment

Using solar power has a number of benefits for individuals and their families - not to mention everyone else on the planet - over both the short and long term.

Taking advantage of the clean energy the sun already provides, which already enables all life on Earth to survive and thrive, to provide the power that we need to run modern-day conveniences such as solar electric power, solar hot water, and solar heating allows families and individuals to have a positive influence on and relationship with the world around them by reducing their carbon footprint, reducing their need for fossil-fuel produced energy, and helping solar energy specialists continue to develop this important power source. At the level of an individual household, the financial and moral benefits of installing solar electric, solar hot water, and solar heating in your home are unparalleled by any other action you can take to help the environment.

The average family spends a significant amount of money each month meeting their energy needs. In cold climates, the price of heating oil through the winter months can constitute a crippling expense for many families, and inefficient fossil-fuel using water heaters can be a difficult inconvenience as they heat water slowly and maintaining hot water temperatures uses energy throughout the day.

Solar hot water can change this. By harnessing the power of the sun to heat hot water tanks and then keep water heated, families can take advantage of this ambient power source without incurring any charge whatsoever. A constantly heated and refilling solar hot water system eliminates the cost of running and repairing a hot water boiler, giving families instant savings on their energy costs.

The same is true for solar heating, which can reduce the cost of keeping your home warm during winter for those in sunny climates. Those who are able to take advantage of solar power for the running of their home heating systems lessen the burden of fossil fuel use, creating a deeper pool of resources for those who cannot afford solar heating or live in environments where weather conditions may not make it possible to take full advantage of solar energy.

The biggest way to change your family's impact on the environment? Install solar photovoltaic panels in your home, if possible, to provide for some or all of your power needs. Solar power is generated through the ambient light of the sun as it shines on your home, and what many homeowners don't realize is that while the initial cost of installation may be high, solar electric panels add value to your home in addition to saving you money over the long term. By generating your own electricity you and your family can save money by reducing your need for power, and on the days when there is more power generated than can be used, you can even sell some of that energy back to the grid for savings on the power you use when weather conditions make harvesting enough solar electric power for your needs impossible.

In addition to these concrete individual benefits, the moral lessons taught to children who grow up in homes that use solar electric, solar hot water, or solar heating systems is incomparable. Children learn the benefits of being environmentally conscious from an early age; the knowledge that they and their families are making a difference to the health of the planet they live on creates a positive situation where they know they can change the way we depend on the Earth for survival. Their carbon footprint is lower than those who do not use the solar alternatives available to them, and they have first-hand knowledge of how efficient and useful these systems are. As children grow older and become adults with families of their own, they automatically adopt more environmentally friendly attitudes in their own lives, and pass these on to their own children. The end result will be a world where, eventually, people are able to produce energy that serves their basic human needs without having a negative impact on the environment and without depleting valuable natural resources.

In the wider, more communal sense: there are plenty of families who cannot, because of location, knowledge, or resources, take advantage of solar power. This can range from families in the far North, who are bathed in darkness for six months of the year, to families in third world countries who simply do not have the resources to use clean energy alternatives. We have a limited supply of fossil fuels, and as a species it is the responsibility of those who have the most to help alleviate the burden of our diminishing natural resources so they can be used for those who really need them.

Oil and gas have rising prices and are often obtained from international providers. Lessening reliance on these products and developing new technologies are two ways of creating a more independent future for people around the globe, but the only way to ensure that these technologies continue to be developed is for individuals and families to invest in the companies that provide solar electric, solar hot water, and solar heating systems through purchasing their products. This in turn will spur on further research into clean energy - not just solar, but also wind and hydroelectric power - as well as alternative fuels. Today's children will not have the seemingly limitless fossil fuels that previous generations have relied on, and without development of alternative clean energy resources they will not be able to continue the standard of living we as a species have come to enjoy.

While wind and hydroelectric power are two clean energy possibilities that can be supported on a large scale by governments, individuals have the power to use solar electric, solar hot water, and solar heating systems to improve their quality of life, the monetary resources they have at their disposal, and their children's dreams for the future. With all those advantages, what's not to love about solar power systems?