Green Technology

1. They take advantage of a reliable energy resource.
As far as we know, the sun is not going anywhere any time soon. Our best estimates place the current lifespan of the sun at several billion years. That means we do not need to worry about running out of solar energy, like we do with fossil fuels. Solar energy is the one form of abundant energy that we can use right now. Enough sunlight hits the planet every day to fuel the world’s energy needs, at current consumption levels, for an entire year.

2. Virtually every country can benefit from solar farms.
There are certain locations in every nation that receive more sunlight than others. In the U.S., for example, one might decide that a solar farm in Phoenix is a better idea than a solar farm in Seattle. The bottom line, however, is that the sun shines everywhere on our planet. Although the far north and far south have extended periods of darkness where other energy resources would be required, virtually every country can benefit from the installation of solar farms.

3. Solar farms require very little maintenance.
Once installed, the photovoltaic panels at a solar farm are very easy to maintain. Some farms may use moving parts to maximize sunlight exposure throughout the day and these components may require additional maintenance. From a standard installation, however, once the panels are installed, the occasional cleaning is all that is required to maintain high levels of productivity.

4. Once created and installed, solar farms are a zero-emission energy resource.
It would be a lie to say that solar energy is completely free of emissions that are potential greenhouse gases. Petroleum is often used to create the photovoltaic panels, which means there are emissions released during the processing of the panel. What makes solar different is that it creates a net savings in emissions when compared to other energy resources. You only consume the petroleum products once, which means there is one emissions price to pay. If you continually combust coal or oil for energy, on the other hand, you’re paying an emissions price with every energy generation effort.

5. It allows everyone to benefit from solar power.
In the United States, about 20% of all homes are considered to be unfit for a residential solar panel installation. The reasons can vary, from not having enough space to not receiving enough sunlight every day. By installing a solar farm for a community, the energy collected can be shared with homes that would normally not be able to benefit from solar power. That helps to reduce overall emissions while limiting the number of property modifications that some homeowners would need to do to benefit from this renewable power resource.

6. Solar energy can be used in a variety of ways.
Solar energy can be used to generate electricity wherever it is collected. It can be used to distill water. We are even using solar energy to power satellites in orbit around our planet. When an inverter is installed on battery storage, solar energy can be used for virtually anything that requires power. It is incredibly versatile, which means our lifestyle routines wouldn’t need to change much to incorporate the many benefits that solar farms would be able to provide.

When it comes to solar energy per acre, a photovoltaic solar plant which on average produces 1 GWh per year, will require around 2.8 acres of land. Therefore, we can say that for every acre, the plant produces an average of 0.357 GWh or 357 MWh of energy per year.