While St. Patrick’s influence originated in Ireland, it has reverberated across the globe. As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, cities worldwide prepare for festivities and deck their streets in green. Some cities are going beyond the decorations though and are embracing green energy as well.
So as we are getting ready for some St. Patrick’s Day fun, let’s gear up for a truly eco-friendly day too! With a nod to the lucky four-leaf clover, here are four solar facts:
The sun showers us with an incredibly bountiful supply of sustainable energy—exceeding our needs manifold. Energy.gov reveals that a staggering 173,000 terawatts of solar energy grace the Earth incessantly, dwarfing the world’s total energy consumption by over 10,000 times.
Moreover, accessing solar power doesn’t require a pot of gold. With solar panel costs plummeting, harnessing the sun’s energy is more accessible than ever.
Unlike finite resources such as coal or oil, solar energy is inexhaustible—as long as the sun shines, we have an abundance of solar power at our disposal. Given sufficient solar panels and storage solutions, we could sustainably power the planet indefinitely.
The environmental footprint of solar energy is remarkably light. Solar panels generate electricity without burning fossil fuels, emitting greenhouse gasses, or depleting extensive water resources. Consequently, the adoption of solar technologies reduces water waste, water pollution, and air pollution.
Electricity generation ranks as the second-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Burning fossil fuels for electricity production releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, exacerbating global warming and triggering severe weather events.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May your glass never be empty, your fields always be green, and your energy production clean!