Solar Energy and the Carbon Footprint Agenda

Installing a solar system in your home or place of business is an effective way of reducing your carbon footprint, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) production which averts climate change. Recent articles on this blog have made the case that solar energy is a responsible and reliable energy production source. Energy from conventional utility companies usually use up coal, gas or oil to produce electricity with detrimental byproducts being released into the environment. Till date, the debate on the complete responsibility in the production stream of solar panels vis a vis the release of GHG as byproducts rage on. In renewable energy, there is no such a thing as 'free lunch' but one could argue that there is a difference between a healthy and an unhealthy lunch.
It has become almost impossible to go through a day without noticing the words ‘Climate Change’ being mentioned on the radio, television or on the street. Sometimes we pause while in heavy traffic and listen into the discussion, but most often we scroll the dial to that station with a blaring tune to help us get to work while being entertained. The reason may be because this information is so clustered and from too many directions and platforms it becomes suffocating and almost incomprehensible.
So what is a Carbon Footprint?
Before splashing into detailed issues, let’s discuss the carbon Footprint. As the title dictates – it’s basically an imprint left behind by a process or the proof of an ongoing/completed process. Just as printing an email leaves the letters on paper, so is doing activities that increase the content of carbon in the atmosphere leave a measurable imprint of carbon on the earth. These activities can be as small as burning paper to as large as producing electricity through the burning of coal. Other day to day activities such as driving a car and using oil to heat your home in winter also increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. This is because these activities produce carbon dioxide as byproduct which interacts with other gases in the atmosphere leading to other issues we will discuss in a different blog update.
There are also secondary ways that increase our carbon footprint such as consuming products that require much fossil fuel during its production and transportation to the store. Deforestation practices increase our carbon footprint as vegetation use carbon dioxide to produce energy hence reducing its content in the environment. Each individual, business or community’s carbon footprint can be calculated using a series of activities called Carbon Counting.
As soon as the amount of carbon dioxide produced is known, measures can be implemented to reduce the footprint. This can be done through life style changes, and seeking alternative measures for energy production such as solar, wind and geothermal. This process is known as Carbon offsetting. Scientists advice that the best way for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint is to decrease the energy needed for production, and decrease dependence on fossil fuels.
The debate will continue in a future article. Stay tuned, and please let us know what you think about this discussion and if there are ideas you’d like to share in the comment section below.