So, why should you care where your energy comes from? And what makes solar power energy so important, anyway? Aren’t all energy sources essentially the same?
By naming but a few solar power benefits, you’ll see why It’s unquestionably different than our traditional sources of energy, such as coal and nuclear power. You’ll also see why going solar has a heavy impact on our world’s future. When you’re ready to discover how your choice of power sources will affect your future as well as your kids’, read on.
Table of Contents
Solar Power Energy Vs. Nuclear and Coal
Waste. It all comes down to waste. Both nuclear power and coal produce waste that’s toxic to humans.
It’s also devastating to our planet, killing plant life, wildlife, and contaminating our limited water supplies. Nuclear reactors produce radioactive byproducts that give humans liver, bone, and lung cancer. Such byproducts can also be reused to produce bombs.
Coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to release energy, is also harmful. If you live within a mile of a coal ash disposal site, you have a 1-in-50 lifetime risk of getting cancer. That’s not to mention your increased chances of lung, heart, or kidney disease.
Using solar power has no such drawbacks. Going solar offers only benefits.
Benefit 1
Though the benefits of solar energy are far-reaching, the following benefits are perhaps the most telling. Let’s start with the reduction in water usage. Nuclear plants cool their reactions with water, and miners extract coal with a process called fracking, which requires massive water expenditures.
Both processes make the water unpotable. Solar power has no such drawbacks. The solar power acquisition process requires no water whatsoever.
Benefit 2
Another one of our solar power benefits is the reduction of air pollutants. Burning coal and producing nuclear power create air pollutants. That dirty air contaminates our lungs, livestock, and waterways.
When you rely on solar power installations, such as those provided by Blue Raven Solar and other notable energy providers, you stop the pollution. Solar panels create no airborne or other such waste.
Benefit 3
And what about our planet’s future? Right now, scientists agree we’re in the middle of a rapid, global climate change. Though they attribute the change to many factors, two remain prominent.
The first is carbon dioxide. It’s a greenhouse gas produced by burning coal, oil, and gas. Such gases trap heat in our atmosphere and lead to the worldwide rise in temperature.
The second is the massive amounts of heat produced in nuclear power plants and given off by burning coal. It’s excess heat that our atmosphere can’t get rid of because of the rise of greenhouse gases.
Solar panels, on the other hand, absorb sunlight that would otherwise convert to heat as it bounces off other particles in our atmosphere. As such, they’re reducing a tiny amount of our atmospheric temperature.
What’s Next?
Well, now you know the most notable differences between solar power energy vs nuclear and coal. How will it impact your choice of energy provider?
Would you like to learn more? Then, dance on over to our ginormous library full of hundreds of great articles on all things technology.
