How Green is Clean Energy?
How much of a difference does one homeowner’s solar panel carbon footprint make? These real numbers show that a year of home solar use cuts as much carbon from the air as planting and raising 275 trees. Ready to walk through the facts step by step?
Solar Panel Carbon Footprint Or Grid Power
Let’s compare a solar home to a home powered by traditional grid electricity. Old-fashioned grid power relies on a mix of fossil fuel sources. When burned for energy, those fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. What happens when you step away from fossil fuels and make the solar switch? You keep carbon from being released into the air. That sounds good, but a little abstract. Time to break it down into real numbers.
For every 1,000 kWh of power generated by a home solar system, you stop 1,102 pounds of carbon dioxide from seeping into the atmosphere.[1]State of Rhode Island, Office of Energy Resources The average home in the United States uses about 877 kWh of power each month or 29 kWh per day. [2]U.S. Energy Information Administration That means your home solar carbon footprint is about 30 pounds lighter every day and 966 pounds lighter every month than if you stuck with old-fashioned grid electricity! With home solar, you keep 11,023 pounds of carbon dioxide out of Earth’s atmosphere every year. What else would you need to do to cut that much carbon?
Home Solar And Planting Trees
A fully mature forest tree absorbs about 40 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year.[3]Ten Million Trees By going solar, your positive impact is similar to what you’d get if you single-handedly planted and raised 275 trees a year! That’s a pretty impressive home solar panel carbon footprint statistic. Given that the panels in a typical home solar installation can last for over 25 years, your solar installation cuts about as much carbon as planting 6,889 trees. As a homeowner, it is a lot easier to install panels on your roof than to fit that kind of a forest into your backyard.
Solar Panel Carbon Footprint In Context
About 10% of the total energy use in the U.S. happens in residential homes.[4]University of Michigan That’s a big piece of the environmental picture. Making a planet-smart choice about your own home solar panel carbon footprint won’t stop climate change overnight, but you can make a real difference.
These real numbers show that installing home solar makes a lasting positive impact on the planet. In addition to the good news for the planet, studies show that installing panels on your house adds an average of $15,000 to your home’s selling price. It is even more appealing to help the planet when you know your green choice also boosts your solar home resale value.
(Illustration: Sustainable Energy by Lee Mette from the Noun Project)