ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF
SOLAR POWER
Clean energy is the future for sustainable, more affordable energy.
Lower Carbon Emissions
Preserves Drinking Water
Free Fuel Source
the benefits of going solar in texas
OUR LIMITED RESOURCES
When residents of Texas choose to go solar, it’s usually because solar helps homeowners save money, earn value on their home, and to lessen their dependency on dirty, hazardous fossil fuels.
Utility companies primarily rely on fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas to provide power to their residents. Many Texas residents live in regulated utility zones, meaning they have no choice over their electricity provider and are at the mercy of their prices and policies.
Americans have experienced annual increases in electric costs due to the strain put on our fossil fuel supply by aggressive global consumption. In the past 10 years, electric costs have increased by about 30%, and if we keep burning fossil fuels at the same rate, future costs will be unmanageable for many people.
IN ONE YEAR, THE AVERAGE AMERICAN HOME PRODUCES EMISSIONS EQUIVALENT TO
GALLONS OF GASOLINE CONSUMED
POUNDS OF COAL BURNED
MILES DRIVEN BY AVG PASSENGER VEHICLE
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average household produces approximately 20 metric tons of carbon pollution each year.
THE POWER OF ONE SOLAR SYSTEM
One solar system can make a world of difference. Over the life of an average Alba Energy solar system, this is the impact.
4 TONS
OF CARBON EMISSIONS REDUCED ANNUALLY BY THE AVG 2 PERSON HOUSEHOLD
212 TREE SEEDLINGS
GROWN FOR 10 YEARS
7.7 ACRES
OF FOREST
DID YOU KNOW?
The sun produces enough energy in 1 hour to power the entire world for 1 year.
THE TROUBLE WITH FOSSIL FUELS
CO2 LEVELS OVER TIME
WHY ARE CARBON EMISSIONS DANGEROUS?
When CO2 and other greenhouse gasses linger in our atmosphere, they trap the sun’s radiation as it bounces off the earth, causing temperatures to increase. The changes in global temperatures have caused polar ice caps to melt at a rate of 134 billion metric tonnes per year, hindering the environment of arctic wildlife, and causing sea levels to rise.
Emissions from burning fossil fuels also cause health issues among industry-workers. Studies show that residents who live nearby fuel processing plants experience higher rates of cancer.
LOWER WATER USAGE WITH SOLAR
One of the most surprising (and shocking) things about power generation is the vast amount of water it requires. 53% of all water consumption in America is used for cooling thermoelectric power plants according to the EPA. Power plants require more water than Irrigation & Livestock, Industrial Mining, and Domestic & Commercial sectors combined!
Going a step deeper, if we look at different types of power plants we can see which use the most water. The table below was provided by the California Energy Commission:
A solar power plant requires virtually ZERO water because solar panels don’t have to be cooled.
With a large scale solar power plant, like the ones used being installed across Texas (link to blog), thousands and thousands of solar panels are installed on the ground and pointed toward the sun. Once turned on, these solar farms may use a little bit of water for maintenance and cleaning, but it is nowhere near the amount of water used by nuclear, coal, oil & natural gas power plants.
EMISSIONS BY FOSSIL FUEL SOURCE
The power process of burning fossil fuels like coal, oil & gas produces greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest greenhouse gases are Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and Nitrous oxide (N2O). These gases block infrared radiation from leaving Earth’s atmosphere, trapping radiation from the sun and warming the surface of our planet.
The chart below shows the percentage of CO2 produced from burning different fossil fuels (copied from the U.S. Energy Information Administration website):
MAJOR FUEL/ENERGY SOURCES FOR US ELECTRICITY GENERATION, 2014
- COAL 43%
- NON-FOSSIL FUELS 34%
- NATURAL GAS 22%
- PETROLEUM 1%
RESULTING CO2 EMISSIONS FROM ELECTRICITY GENERATION BY FUEL TYPE, 2014
- COAL 76%
- NON-FOSSIL FUELS 0%
- NATURAL GAS 22%
- PETROLEUM 1%
Alba Energy Locations
Austin | Dallas | Houston | McAllen | San Antonio
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