A Solar Electrical System Generates No Harmful Emissions—Zero.
When you power your home with 100 percent clean, renewable, and abundant sunshine, you have the peace of mind of knowing you are reducing your personal carbon footprint in a meaningful way.
As the chart illustrates, most electricity in the United States is produced from coal. When power plants turn these fossil fuels into electricity for your home, they pollute our air by releasing nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, radioactive materials, and heavy metals like mercury. Power plants also contaminate soil and water and increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Solar electricity produces absolutely no pollution. One million homes using solar electricity would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.3 million tons per year. That's the equivalent of removing 850,000 cars from the road. And by using more solar electricity, fewer power plants that produce greenhouse gases would need to be built.
"An average U.S. household uses 830 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. On average, producing 1000 kWh of electricity with solar power reduces emissions by nearly 8 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 5 nitrogen oxides, and more than 1,400 pounds of carbon dioxide.
During its projected 28 years of clean energy production, a rooftop solar energy system will avoid conventional electrical plant emissions of more than half a ton of sulfur dioxide, one-third a ton of nitrogen oxides, and 100 tons of carbon dioxide. Solar electricity is clearly a wise energy investment with great environmental benefits!”
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Energy Payback: Clean Energy from PV”
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