With corporations and individuals becoming more environmentally cautious and looking for new ways to save energy, solar is becoming very popular, for many reasons.
Not only does it save you money on electricity, but it’s more efficient and earth friendly. Solar panels generate electricity directly from sunlight without the need for water. Power plants that produce coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy require large amounts of water for cooling and steam generation.
WATER RESERVATION
One way that solar energy saves water is through water reservation. Unlike processes such as coal mining, fracking, and drilling into the earth to release gas, solar energy doesn’t require as much water. While in production, coal mining plants and hydraulic fracking operations use millions of gallons of water each day. Compared to solar panels, which don’t require any water to generate energy, this large sum of contaminated water starts to feel like a waste.
FLOATING SOLAR PANELS
A floating solar panel is a type of solar panel that uses water, but not how you might expect. Floating solar panels generate solar energy when they’re attached to a buoyant object and left to float on the surface of a body of water, such as a reservoir, lake, pond, and even the ocean. The floating panels increase clean power as well as reduce the evaporation process. With floating solar panels, you also save on valuable land space that would otherwise be covered with solar panels.
EASY MAINTENANCE
Solar panels, unlike other energy sources, are easy to maintain. Once installed no water is needed to maintain and keep it in use, aside from some light cleaning in the case of dirt or dust buildup. Solar panels are usually operational for up to 35 years, without much maintenance or further investment. Because they do not require water to obtain energy, solar panels are a long-term water saving solution. Panels do not require any water for cooling down, unlike nuclear power plants, which use 600-800 gallons per megawatt-hour of energy generated. Since solar panels use sunlight to generate energy, no extra equipment is needed to keep them running.
WATER MANAGEMENT
For companies that deal with treating drinking water, solar panels can be useful by creating a bigger budget. With the increase in energy prices, water districts end up spending a big chunk of their budget on energy. When energy costs are offset after the implementation of solar panels, companies have more money to spend on other things, like better water efficient equipment and technology they may need.
Keep in mind that solar panels themselves do not consume water during operation, but the production and maintenance of solar panels do require some water. However, these water requirements are generally much lower than those of conventional power generation methods. By switching to solar energy, you can become a part of the solution, rather than continuing excess water expenditure. Learn more about solar panel installation with J-Tech today.
