Environmental Benefits of Solar Power
Contribution to CO2 Reduction
Australia’s high level of pollution per capita is due to our over-reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Forty percent of Australia’s green house gas emissions come from electricity production, and Australia’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over the past 25 years have risen at almost twice the average rate, which is about 4.5 times the global average.
In response to the likely global impact of climate change and the environment due to increasing CO2 emissions, the Federal Government’s is developing/implementing major policy initiatives including CPRS, MRET along with other changes that will impact the economy, business, and our way of life in a fundamental and structural way. There is a huge amount information available on the internet, and some useful links are provided below.
If an typical Australian home uses around 25 kilowatt hours of electricity every day, and this electricity is generated by the burning of fossil fuels, it means that household is responsible for releasing 7.5 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. When you consider the number of households in Australia, the combined effect of these emissions is a major burden on the environment.
There is another way.
Generating electricity from the sun means less consumption of fossil fuels, less pollution and therefore greater climate change mitigation. Installing tens of thousands of small solar systems on: homes, schools, businesses, government and public buildings, will each contribute to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, help the environment and combat global warming.
For example, a single 2kW solar power system from SilexSolar will reduce CO2 emissions by about 3 tonnes per year depending on the average annual solar insolation. This is the equivalent of planting more than 450 pine trees. With large roof spaces available at schools, installing larger solar power systems is the equivalent of planting a forest.
Useful Web Links:
Australian Government, Department of Climate Change
http://whitepaper.climatechange.gov.au/index.html
Australian Government, Department of the Environment, water, Heritage and the Art
http://www.environment.gov.au/
New South Wales, State Government – Sustainable Energy Home Page
Sustainable web link
New South Wales, State Government – Solar Bonus Scheme
Solar Scheme web link
Government fact Sheet: CPRS
(download PDF Fact Sheet)
Government, Treasury Fact Sheet: CPRS -
The Low Pollution Future web link
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