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Environmental benefits of solar energy
Solar energy provides a number of environmental benefits – it’s clean, emission-free, and renewable. The widespread use of solar power will help our country reduce its reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and pollute our air.
Common questions
What’s the average environmental impact of switching to solar?
Choosing a clean source of electricity like solar panels can eliminate the same amount of carbon emissions that would result from burning over 5,000 pounds of coal each year.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average home with solar panels in Connecticut uses 8,288 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. For that home in not-so-sunny CT, switching from fossil fuels to solar has the same emissions reduction effect as planting about 150 trees every single year for the lifetime of the solar panel system.
Should I install solar panels if it means cutting down trees?
From an emissions standpoint solely, solar panels will more than make up for the carbon loss of cutting down a tree (as we mentioned above, switching to solar can have the same emissions impact of planting ~150 trees every year). That said, trees provide a number of other advantages to consider before making that decision, including wildlife, health, and happiness benefits. You can read more about that here.
Can I recycle my solar panel system?
You can recycle many parts of a solar panel system, including the solar cells, metal framing, glass sheets, wires, and plexiglas. That said, separating those materials out and recycling them individually can be a complex and expensive process.
The U.S. solar panel recycling industry is still in its infancy: in Europe, solar panel manufacturers are required to handle the recycling of their panels once they’ve reached the end of their usable lifespan. In the U.S., no such regulations exist just yet. But there are companies–like RecyclePV and We Recycle Solar–that partner with installation companies and manufacturers to recycle old solar equipment.
Learn more about solar panel recycling
Can I see my emission reduction impact on EnergySage?
Yes! In your solar quotes, we do all the math for you – simply go to any Detailed Quote view to see how much tons of carbon dioxide you can offset by switching to solar, and what the equivalent of that is in trees planted or gallons of gasoline burned.
