5 Opportunities Solar Energy Use Provides For Everyone

It’s been so long since professionals started encouraging us about clean energy use. In the last decade, solar energy has become popular and preferred by many businesses. Now, there are a lot of solar panel manufacturers that sell quality panels at their most affordable prices yet. 

Gone are the days when solar panel installation and use were expensive. Even though they’re still expensive, they’ve become more accessible for businesses and residential owners to utilise. Also, solar panels’ efficiency has tremendously improved over the last decades, too. 

That’s why it’s the most popular clean energy type among all the others. You might wonder, why is clean energy recommended for use? The answer is simple: clean energy is not harmful to the environment. Also, they have a lot of advantages for the environment – and everyone as well. 

Clean energy use such as solar provides a lot of opportunities for us. In this article, let’s discuss five opportunities solar energy use has for everyone.

1. Opportunity to control and stop climate change

Climate change has been one of the longest and top concerns of environmentalists. Until now, advocates are still reminding us of the same things over and over again. Even in schools, they teach and discuss climate change issues. Yet, it’s like our heads are up in the sky that we can’t seem to digest its effects. 

Unfortunately, climate change is real. We’ve been experiencing it for so long now. It’s true when people say that once you get used to something, it’s no longer a big deal. Sadly, that’s just how we, humans, view climate change. 

Fossil fuels and climate change

The energy that we use comes from fossil fuels. Here’s a fun fact that a lot of people probably know. The remains of living organisms produce fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are necessary to keep the planet warm. 

We utilise energy by burning fossil fuels. However, they emit carbon dioxide when burned. Large and too much amount of carbon dioxide leads to climate change. The sudden temperature shifts that we experience are the result of climate change. 

Fossil fuels’ emissions get trapped in the atmosphere. The quantities of carbon dioxide then become greenhouse gases. Have you noticed how during summer, the weather is too extreme? The same happens during winter, too. Those temperature shifts and changes are the results of fossil fuels. 

Solar energy use allows us to control climate change. When we use solar panels, we won’t be emitting harmful chemicals that threaten the planet’s climate. 

2. Opportunity to stop and control extinctions

Research says that in 2022, there are currently 3,483 species that are considered critically endangered. Have you seen videos and pictures online of malnourished animals and melting icebergs? Unfortunately, those videos and pictures are facts. 

Arctic animals are one of the species that are affected by climate change the most. Arctic animals such as polar bears, arctic foxes, arctic wolves, walrus, beluga, and more are at risk. It would be unfortunate if future generations were only to see these animals in pictures. 

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were all to stop using fossil-fueled energy? If we were to utilise solar energy, there surely wouldn’t be any critical endangerments that would happen in the coming decades. 

3. Opportunity to provide employment

One way to utilise solar energy is through the use of solar panels. Solar panels are photovoltaic cells that collect light and convert it into energy. Once the light emitted by the sun touches the panels, it becomes energy that we can utilise. 

Currently, only a few companies manufacture and produce solar panels. If you purchase, the panels are custom-made to your needs. If solar panels become available to everyone, companies will need more people to do the work.

That opens more employment opportunities for people. Solar panel production requires thorough work. After all, solar panels are made to last for a maximum of three decades. If solar energy becomes available, businesses would surely develop better ways how we can maximise it. 

A lot of green jobs could be generated. Also, it would be nice if companies were to include and prioritise the environment in their missions and visions, too. 

4. Opportunity to provide a better life for rural communities that don’t have access to electricity.

There are areas in 2nd and 3rd world countries that don’t have access to electricity. Why? Because those areas don’t have infrastructure designs and developments. This might seem unreal, but there are a lot of communities that live without electricity. 

This idea probably does not even occur to us since we are living in our comfortable bubbles. But, that is the reality of a lot of people. If governments and businesses work together to make solar panel use accessible, people in rural communities have a chance. A chance to live a comfortable life. 

5. Opportunity to have a healthier and greener life for everyone

Last but not least is the opportunity to have a healthier and greener life for everyone. Using fossil fuels causes pollution. Did you know that pollution triggers risks of diseases such as respiratory complications? The allergies that we consider tolerable and mild are triggered by pollution as well. 

If we were to shift to solar energy, those risks and triggers would decrease. Have you noticed how easy it is to climb up a mountain the higher you are already? It’s because the air quality is better than if you are at the base. It is hard to stay physically fit and healthy if the air we breathe is polluted. 

Solar energy use provides opportunities that improve the quality of life.

The five opportunities I discussed show us a glimpse of what life would be like if we were to use clean energy. Overall, solar energy provides us with opportunities to help the environment and improve the quality of life on Earth. Hopefully, these opportunities will become our realities in the future. 

Photo by Robert Thiemann from Unsplash

Written by Bianca Banda