The promise of lower monthly electricity bills is probably the #1 reason why most Maryland homeowners and businesses install solar panels. But there’s arguably an even better reason to go solar — protecting the environment.
You see, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are on the rise across the planet, and Maryland is no exception.
The effects of this constant pollution aren’t always immediately visible. After all, Maryland is one of the country’s greenest states. It’s easy to fool ourselves into believing that climate change is an isolated problem that only affects distant corners of the world.
But all we need is the occasional Hurricane Sandy to remind us that we’re all connected, and thus, we must all do our part to reduce the world’s carbon footprint.
So how is Maryland doing in the climate change fight?
First the Good News
Maryland has implemented a fairly aggressive campaign to reduce GHGs 25% by 2020 antabuse tablets. In the past 7 years, the state has:
- enacted stricter environmental regulations
- established mandatory renewable energy portfolios
- conducted extensive community outreach to raise awareness
Now the Bad News
Despite this statewide push, we’ve made insufficient progress. From 2006 to 2011, Maryland reduced its carbon footprint by only 5%, leaving just 9 years to reduce it by another 15%.
Admittedly, we’ve made some solid gains at the municipal level. For example, Maryland’s utility network has increased its solar capacity from 0.1MW in 2006 to 77MW in 2012 — an impressive 750% increase.
But this isn’t enough.
Our state’s carbon footprint is not strictly a municipal problem. Maryland’s emissions represent the sum total of all greenhouse gases produced by every individual.
For us to achieve our goal of 25% fewer GHGs by 2020 — everyone must chip in, including households, schools, and businesses.
Greater conservation and energy efficiency are critically important to these efforts. But according to the Environmental Protection Agency, electricity generated from fossil fuels accounts for more than 25% of C02 and other harmful GHGs.
- Every kilowatt of electricity generated from natural gas adds up to 575 grams of CO2 to the atmosphere.
- When we use coal to power our cities, the number jumps up to 1250 grams of CO2.
For Maryland to succeed, we must adopt cleaner power generation technologies.
Turning the Crab State into the Sunshine State with Solar Energy
One of the most promising green energy solutions is solar power — a renewable, non-polluting technology that harnesses free energy from the sun.
For every kilowatt of electricity consumed to manufacture solar technology, we release only 73 grams of CO2. And once the panels are installed on your property, they release absolutely 0 grams.
Over a 25-year period, a simple 4-kilowatt solar installation represents the equivalent of planting 2.3 acres of trees or preventing 135 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
And that’s just one tiny residential solar installation.
Imagine if all of Maryland’s 3+ million households and businesses installed solar panels. Not only would we all have lower electricity bills, but we’d easily surpass our 2020 environmental goals.
For more information regarding the environmental benefits of solar panels, please visit this page
Recent Comments