The Environment Magazine

Arnold Qi
Quarry Lane School, Dublin, CA 94568

As the world struggles to address climate change, a sustainable solution is to switch to renewable energy. Renewable energy sources come from a source that replenishes itself over time and will not deplete. Solar, wind, and hydropower are examples of renewable energy sources that provide a healthier substitute for fossil fuels. Unlike fossil fuels, these renewable energy sources use natural processes that create little to no carbon emissions. 

Figure 1.  Comparison of Carbon Emissions (Source:  https://www.solar.com/learn/what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-solar-panels/) 

The main reason for substituting renewable energy for traditional methods is carbon emissions. Over recent decades, global warming has worsened due to non-renewable energy sources such as coal, oil, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy. When burned, these sources release large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, but renewable sources can reduce that amount. For example, solar panels convert sunlight into energy with no carbon emissions after 3 years of operation, while coal releases carbon emissions permanently. From the chart above, we can also see that coal releases 20 times more carbon in its lifetime than solar panels. 

In addition to reducing carbon emissions, renewable energy sources can also benefit the economy. Since using renewable energy is a new movement, it can create job opportunities. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), there are currently over 13.7 million people employed in this sector. Employment in renewable energy related jobs is expected to triple according to an article written by UPenn   ( Chart On Decline Of Solar Panel Costs ) source LPS (College of Liberal and Professional Studies). Additionally, renewable energy is also seen as more cost-efficient than non-renewable energy because renewable energy does not require fuel to run while non-renewable energy does. In recent years, prices of solar panels have also dropped more than 80%, making them more affordable for residential and commercial uses. 

Figure 1.  Decline of Solar Panel Costs(Source:  https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/solar-panel-prices-have-fallen-by-around-20-every-time-global-capacity-doubled) 

According to the Department Of Energy, switching to renewable energy will also have a profound impact worldwide. While it is being spread to developed countries such as the US, undeveloped and developing regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America still lack these new technologies. Instead, they use more traditional methods for cooking, heating, and basic necessities. Helping spread energy to these rural areas would help fix and mitigate the significant health and environmental issues. This is because the burning of biomass in poorly ventilated spaces can create indoor air pollution, which is the leading cause of respiratory diseases. The development of wind turbines, solar panels, and hydropower would reduce the risks of these diseases and give more energy to those in the area.

While this only explains some causes of global warming, there are also many other factors we don’t notice. For example, AC units are one of the biggest contributors to global warming due to a vicious cycle. In hot places, everyone is forced to use AC indoors in order to cool off, but AC units emit heat during this process. So, if the earth continues to grow hotter, we would need to rely on our air conditioners more, which would also increase the outside temperature, thus creating a cycle that cannot be undone. One of the easiest ways to avoid this is to switch from non-renewable energy to renewable energy, which can at least help reduce global warming while providing new job opportunities and economic and health benefits.

References

Aggarwal, Vikram. “How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in 2023? | EnergySage.” http://Www.energysage.com, 1 May 2023, http://www.energysage.com/local-data/solar-panel-cost/.

“Solar Panel Prices Have Fallen by around 20% Every Time Global Capacity Doubled.” Our World in Data, ourworldindata.org/data-insights/solar-panel-prices-have-fallen-by-around-20-every-time-global-capacity-doubled.

Upenn.edu, 2024, lpsonline.sas.upenn.edu/features/powering-future-explore-rise-clean-energy-jobs#:~:text=As%20per%20data%20in%20the.

“Wagner.” Wagnermechanical.com, 2020, http://www.wagnermechanical.com/blog/how-can-my-ac-unit-heat-my-home#:~:text=Instead%20of%20releasing%20heat%20energy. 

Wigness, Sam. “What Is the Carbon Footprint of Solar Panels?” Solar.com, 31 Aug. 2023, http://www.solar.com/learn/what-is-the-carbon-footprint-of-solar-panels/.