My love of solar began in the 7th grade and the Science Fair. Admittedly, I may be biased but there are countless reasons why solar is a critical foundation to the future of any and all global communities.
Here’s a rundown of the top reasons why folks go solar:
- Energy Savings: Pure and simple, by generating energy on your own roof you draw less from the utility, saving on your monthly bill as a result. Why buy something that comes for free every day?
- Sound investment: The economics show that by purchasing solar directly, homeowners and businesses are able to produce their own power for less than the utility charges – starting on Day 1 in most cases. Why rent your energy when you can own it? Solar turns your roof into income – what other home purchase does that?
- Effective Climate Change Solution: As we experience warmer summers, bigger storms, terrifying fires and what feels like an odd cycle between floods and drought, it is clear our world is changing rapidly. Swift action is needed to avert even more catastrophic changes to our planet and home. Many of us want to be part of a solution and minimize the ways we are the part of the problem. Generating power where it is needed from clean resources is a great solution that can be deployed quickly and affordably.
- Cleaner Air, Land and Water: Let’s face it – fossil energy is dirty. It pollutes our vital resources – air, water and the land where we live and grow food. Reducing and eliminating pollution improves health, saves lives (human, animal and plant) and avoids costly clean-up from toxic spills and emissions.
- Addresses Equity Issues: our poorest and most vulnerable neighbors are forced to live in the shadows of big polluters, whether it is a factory or fuel producer. Clean energy can have an immediate effect on life expectancy and quality of living to marginalized communities, creating a fair and equitable future for generations to come.
- Grid Stability: Owning solar and reducing reliance on the public utility can have a greater cumulative effect on the grid and actually drive down prices for everyone. When peak demands surges, electricity costs go up as back up plants are activated. This is expensive power. As solar generates energy during peak load, it can help shave some of that burden on the grid.
- Grid Safety: Those same stressed powerlines can be the CAUSE of wildfires and dangerous conditions making the grid unstable, unreliable and expensive.
- National Security: by remaining resilient on renewable energy of all forms, we do not need to risk the political dangers often associated with fossil fuel territories.
- Improved Property Values
- Energy
