Solar Benefits
Sungevity makes it really easy to benefit from solar energy.
Every time you switch on your computer, washing machine, TV, or toaster, there is a fossil fuel power plant at the other end of the wire generating huge amounts of pollution. These power plant emissions contribute to poor air quality, acid rain, and climate change.
Electricity itself is not the problem. If we generated 100% of our electricity from the wind and sun, there would be no carbon emissions. But with the electric grid still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, electricity generation is responsible for about 40% of annual carbon emissions in the United States. According to the EPA, the average U.S. household produces approximately 8 metric tons of CO2 a year—that’s more carbon than the average passenger car emits in a year (approximately 5 metric tons). The single best thing you can do for the environment is to take control of your home’s energy mix.
Over 70% of all electricity in the grid is supplied from power plants burning fossil fuels. After coal, the biggest power sources are natural gas and nuclear. Natural gas produces half the greenhouse gas emissions of coal, but it’s a fossil fuel that sooner or later will become scarce.
Some tout nuclear energy as relatively clean but, in reality, nuclear power has a large carbon price tag. Mining, transporting and enriching uranium require vast amounts of diesel, fuel and water. In the wake of nuclear reactor meltdowns at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, many people are concerned about the safety of nuclear power plants and have raised serious questions about where and how radioactive nuclear waste will be stored. The bottom line is that most folks don’t fancy a nuclear power plant or waste dump in their backyard. When it comes to safety, pollution and long term sustainability, there’s no question that renewables are the way to go.
It does take energy and resources to make solar panels but, according to the International Energy Agency,a solar panel basking in California sunshine will in two years generate as much energy as was used to manufacture it. After two years, all the electricity generated by solar panels is effectively carbon-free!
Sungevity makes it easy to benefit from solar energy. At Sungevity, we believe one solution to climate change is to increase the global use of solar power. That's because when you use the sun to power your home, you make energy exactly where you need it, with no loss of energy across long transmission lines. When your home generates electricity from the sun, you reduce the amount of electricity you draw off the grid and decrease the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere, all without having to change your lifestyle. Best of all, with a Sungevity Solar Lease, you can start saving money or your electricity bills from day one. It’s practically a no brainer for any homeowner who wants to save money and help the environment.