Earth Day: celebrating the positive impact of solar panels

mosaic of earth and people holding hands in Simi Valley residencePhoto byTracy Carbone

One surefire way to help save the planet is by relying on solar power over gas, oil, or coal. In the past, installing solar panels on your home could be very expensive. If you want solar panels, costs can be high though there are a lot of programs to help you afford them.

solar panels on homePhoto byVivint SolaronUnsplash

One option is to “lease” the panels, which may cost nothing and save thousands of dollars on your electric bill. One nationwide solar panel company who services Simi Valley is Sunrun. Plans can be found here.

But outside of the benefit to wallets, how much of an impact do solar panels have to the earth? Per Sunrun, since 2007, their 800K customers’ panels have produced, “25.6 billion Kilowatts of solar energy, powering 2.3 million homes.” It’s conserved 67 billion gallons of water, avoided 14.6 million metric tons of C02 (equal to 21 million acres of forest and enough to cover Los Angeles 70 times).”

The company’s investment in the planet doesn’t stop there. Per their website, Sunrun is partnering with Veritree to plant 1,000,000 trees. “Partnering with veritree, we are working to help restore degraded landscapes by planting 1 million trees in honor of our customers and employees. Veritree and their partners work around the world to ensure that each tree is verified, and that every dollar has a tangible impact.”

forest of treesPhoto bySergei AonUnsplash

1,000,000 trees “compares to planting 60,668 studio apartments full of trees.” Additionally 109,716 tonnes of CO2 to be “sequestered “Compares to removing 23,851 cars from the road for one year.” These trees will reforest 339.7 hectares, providing 17,600 work days to local tree planters.

Other companies offered in our area include Sunnova, who offers a free battery with a lease, and Sunpower.

Calmatters reports the new state changes and the impact both to customers and solar companies. In December 2022, The California Public Utilities Commission “overhauled the state’s rooftop solar regulations, reducing payments to homeowners for excess power but providing nearly a billion dollars in incentives to encourage more solar projects for low-income homes.”

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Though the commissioners prided themselves on the “ new rules… as a much-needed course-correction to California’s 27-year-old residential solar rules,” the utility and solar industries don’t agree. “Utilities did not get all the concessions they hoped for to lower bills for non-solar customers. And solar developers say the rules will discourage people from installing solar panels.”

Changes include funding of $900M in new incentive payments to residents to help purchase panels. $630 million is to be allocated for low-income households and the rest toward solar-battery storage systems.

solar panelsPhoto byAmerican Public Power AssociationonUnsplash

These changes are meant to help the state meet the target of zero-carbon electricity by 2045 and end use of fossil fuels but “solar companies and environmental groups say the policy could undermine the state’s booming solar industry by raising the costs of operating panels on homes and small businesses…states where similar rate shifts have been adopted, solar system installation has plummeted.”

Though approximately “1.5 million rooftop solar systems are installed on California’s houses, schools and small businesses” and “14% of California’s total electricity comes from large-scale solar projects” per Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar & Storage Association, these changes are hurtful to the industry and ultimately the environment. “The CPUC’s final proposal is a loser for California on many levels,” she said in a statement. “For the solar industry, it will result in business closures and the loss of green jobs. For middle class and working class neighborhoods where solar is growing fastest, it puts clean energy further out of reach.”

person counting moneyPhoto byAlexander GreyonUnsplash