Solar is the new buzz!
By Jaspreet Kaur,
Data Analyst at Edgehog
Fossils=Foes; Renewables=Friends
Fossil fuels cause pollution and degrade the quality of our surrounding. Global Carbon Project (GCP) reports an increase in global carbon emissions each year by 0.8-3%. The 2017 projection data is 36.8 Gigatonnes. That’s maddening, isn’t it? Even so, most countries excessively rely on fossils for their electricity demands.
Energy Information Administration (EIA) statistics show 83% of the electricity in US is still produced bad energy sources with coal and natural gas being the main stakeholders. The result is shifted seasons, extreme temperatures and human health which is quite unnerving. The Canadian PM recently introduced price for pollution program to regulate climate change and check pollution in all the provinces. It’s high time to switch to cleaner, cheaper, sustainable energy sources.
Solar in Vogue
The Rise of Electric Vehicles in China! Solar Energy Now Powering China’s Electric Car Industry.
Solar is totally in. Most of the population and tech companies are rooting for solar panels over conventional and non-renewable sources of energy. California became a recent candidate to abandon fossil fuels for their energy needs by 2045. US is sweeping the solar market 39 times more than it did a decade ago. Germany is already a solar superpower with 7.5% of its total energy usage by renewable sources, 50% of which is solar. Car biggies like Hyundai and Kia are joining the solar bandwagon and hope to upgrade their car roofs with solar panels by 2019. Blockchain-crypto-solar startup Power Ledger won first prize in Extreme Tech Challenge for their pitch to empower solar owners with blockchain technology to monetize and trade their PV installations. More power to solar!
Solar is Merrier
Solar energy is the most reliable and sustainable source of energy that is cheap and energy efficient. It is clean and widely available. Solar energy has multifaceted applications from electricity generation to solar heating. It’s low noise and low maintenance. Furthermore, solar energy can be manifested in remote areas where it’s hard to cost-crunching to run power cables. Solar technology for personal use reduces energy expense and can save from power blackouts. The question is why not solar?
Solar energy is appealing because it has more pros than cons.
Solar has Potential
Solar technology has vastly upgraded to what it was five years ago. The generic solar panel efficiency ranges from 15-19% depending on the technology used. Solar love is a cool place to speculate tech-savvy information on solar cell efficiency records, solar module efficiency records, largest solar power plants and solar market leaders. The world record in solar cell efficiency was made in 2013 at 44.7 %. It’s a long way to go!
Solar as Society
The New York SUN rebate program offers a rebate to homeowners based on location and utility program for installing solar panels. The US federal government is providing incentives, rebates and tax breaks for going solar. Vivint Solar is a solar company which makes it pains free to install solar panels. We want more of solar cities definitely. The SunShot Initiative by US government is a national initiative to provision solar energy acceptance to make solar energy reasonably priced for all Americans. Solar Cities is a creative program worth 97 million Australian dollars intended to boost solar power, smart meters, energy conservation and novel strategies to electricity valuing to deliver a sustainable energy future in major cities throughout Australia. There is a dawn of solar age in European Union with a growth of 60% in demand for solar. The Europe government has dumped tariffs on solar parts imports enabling locals and government to get more out of the sun. The most efficient commercial solar panels manufacturers include Sunpower with 22.2% efficiency followed by Panasonic at 21. 6%. The only problem that is that their prices are expensive than the local solar installers. So, research before you invest!
How much money will I save with solar?
ALL HAIL SOLAR!