5 fascinating Solar Energy stats

The benefits of solar energy are increasing each year. It is a clean, ample source of energy, with the added economic perk of job creation. The cost to install solar panels has reduced significantly over the last few decades. Considering climate change concerns, reducing carbon emissions can only be a good thing. What better way to save money, energy, and increase jobs than to use alternative energy from solar power?

CO2 Reduction: Solar power offsets nearly 76 million metric tons of CO2 each year.

• Equivalent to removing 16.2 million vehicles from the road.
• Generates clean air equivalent to planting nearly 2 billion trees.

Power of Solar: Solar power can reduce the use of fossil fuels and save on water usage.

• A single kilowatt of solar power can reduce the consumption of 150 pounds of coal.
• A single kilowatt of solar power can reduce the usage of 105 gallons of water.

What’s a Kilowatt? A measure of 1,000 watts of electrical power. One kilowatt-hour of electricity is enough to watching television for 10 hours or vacuuming for one hour.

Clean Energy: Solar energy is ecologically safe for the environment.

• Solar energy emits no pollution or carbons when it is produced or consumed.
• Solar energy causes no damage to the land as it does not require fossil fuel extraction.

Jobs in Solar: The solar industry is one of the fastest growing industries, surpassing oil and the gas pipeline.

• Workers in solar energy increased by 168% since 2010.
• There were 260,077 workers in 2017; an increase of 25% from 2015.

Cost Savings: The cost of solar energy is increasingly affordable and is quickly becoming cheaper than natural gas.

• In 1977, the cost per watt of solar energy was $77; in Q3 of 2017, the cost per watt was $0.21.
• Solar energy costs 4.3 cents per kilowatt; natural gas costs between 4.2 and 7.8 cents per kilowatt.

Understanding the benefit to the economy and to the environment, coupled with the reducing cost, it is clear to see that the prediction of solar power making up 16% of all electricity usage by 2050 is not a far-fetched. Solar energy is the future. Our environment can use all the help it can get.