it helps because it does not omit pollution
it cost alot less and what u dont use the company actually pays u
2007-12-17 12:51:44
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answer #1
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answered by flipskate05 1
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Solar energy is good for the environment because it does not involve burning any fossil fuels, produces no wastes to dispose of, doesn't require mining or drilling, and uses the solar radiation that was going to be here anyway.
It isn't totally free, since the photovoltaic solar cells (which convert light directly to electricity) or mirrors and boilers require some energy to manufacture and install, but once in place they produce a lot of energy with no further waste, until the plant gets decommissioned.
Unfortunately, solar cells aren't all that efficient, so electricity generated from solar energy is expensive - more expensive than coal based electricity - so most of our power comes from burning fossil fuel and coal.
In the Pacific Northwest (where I live) electricity costs around ten cents per kilowatt hour, while solar power costs more than twice that. We don't have all that much intense sunlight here, so it's not a terribly good alternative; we got lucky on the hydro power front.
In a place like Phoenix solar power is more attractive, but still more expensive than oil or coal based power. If we ever get around to charging extra for the CO2 load (to deal with global warming) soalr power could become more cost effective, but that's not going to happen under the current president.
2007-12-17 20:57:12
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answer #2
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answered by VirtualSound 5
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Solar energy is very helpful to the environment. Converting the heat of the sun to electrical power doesnt emit any harmful gases to the environment. Same as true with solar powered car, it doesnt burn gasoline in return no harmful gases and no heat is released to the environment thereby reducing global warming. solar powered devices like calculators are very helpful also to the environment because they are not using batteries which if discarded to the environment can pollute our ground water and can poison if people drinks it. The best part is that solar power is a renewable source of energy with less investment because sun power is free forever.
2007-12-17 20:59:34
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answer #3
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answered by jazzpherboy 2
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Solar energy helps the environment because there are no emissions like burning coal or oil. Also, it's reusable, there is always a source of light. On the other hand, the amount of energy produced by solar energy is much lower then burning coal.
2007-12-17 20:52:40
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answer #4
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answered by Chris 2
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There are two mechanisms for capturing solar energy:
- Thermal. Heat from the sun is used to heat a fluid (usually water, sometimes air) and the heat is used for various purposes (typically space heating). Can be useful if you have a sunny climate; if you don't, it is not economic.
- Photovoltaic. Solar cells produce electricity, for domestic use or to be put on the grid. A photovoltaic system costs about $10 per watt of installed capacity, and can generate a maximum of 2 kWh per year per watt of capacity -- which in most areas is worth about 25 cents. Clearly, this is not economic; a savings account pays more.
2007-12-17 20:54:13
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Almost all the enrgy we use today is Solar energy, even our food comes from suns energy.
PV (Photo voltaic) ie making electricity from sun is not very cost effective.
Solar water heaters are very convenient and have a very small payback period (3-4 years) work well in sunny areas.
Solar cookers work well too.
Plants/Trees use solar energy to make food which in some cases can be made into bio-fuels. Wood can be used for burning.
2007-12-18 01:07:40
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answer #6
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answered by funnysam2006 5
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It helps the enviroment in that it does not use non renewable resources such as Coal and Gas. It does not produce hazardous gasses which would be emited into the atmosphere and it last a very very long time.
The down side is you have to use it in a very sunny area with minimal cloud cover (would be useless in england, but the nevada desert would be a good place for it)
Another down side is it doesnt produce as much power as a fossile fuel energy plant its size. (Not yet anyway).
For now I think Geothermal and Nuclear is the way to go. But Nuclear presents a big risk if something should go wrong.
2007-12-17 20:54:08
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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I live in the south of England. We installed solar heating panels to heat hot water about five years ago. We have gas and used to heat all our hot water with it. Now the sun gives us hot water for about 7 months a year which saves burning a fossil fuel. We save about £ 350 a year at current gas prices but the installation cost £ 5250.
2007-12-18 07:46:23
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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Solar energy is still a dream, the cost far outweighs the benefit. It doesn't compare at all.
2007-12-17 20:51:46
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answer #9
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answered by T C 6
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You can read all about solar energy here:
http://www.greenstudentu.com/Solar_Energy.aspx
2007-12-19 13:17:31
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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solar energy keeps alive the life on earth as it provides the essential sunlight with which photosynthesis occurs
2007-12-17 20:54:15
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answer #11
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answered by Anonymous
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