Environmental Impacts
Solar power is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to produce electricity, producing no emissions and minimally impacting the sites where it is installed. Because it is such a low-impact technology, it has gained increased interest in the face of new environmental problems like climate change.
Emissions
The most significant benefit of photovoltaic technology is that it produces no emissions. Because photovoltaic cells transfer solar energy directly into electricity, no fuel is required and therefore no fuel is burned in the process.
Renewable Fuel
Because photovoltaic technology uses only the sun as its fuel, it is considered an entirely renewable source of electricity - once it is installed, it will never run out of an energy source. Because solar energy is available essentially anywhere, photovoltaic technology is also an ideal local source of energy.
Site Impacts
Because photovoltaic systems are most often mounted on roofs, they have essentially no impact on land use. Even pole mounted and tilt mounted systems installed on the ground take up little space and have minimal contact with the ground. Because photovoltaics do not use material fuels, they produce no material waste during their use, further benefiting the local environment.
< Where PV is Used | Cost Considerations >