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Why PV is Important

http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/pv_important.html

The University of Wyoming and several rural electric companies have set up demonstration projects to study the durability, maintenance requirements, and useful life of solar-powered water-pumping systems. Solar electric systems are an ideal choice in Wyoming's vast rural areas, especially those at a considerable distance from conventional power lines.

Photovoltaics (PV) is an important energy technology for many reasons. As a solar energy technology, it has numerous environmental benefits. As a domestic source of electricity, it contributes to the nation's energy security. As a relatively young, high-tech industry, it helps to create jobs and strengthen the economy. As it costs increasingly less to produce and use, it becomes more affordable and available. And there are many more reasons, as we shall see.

Few power-generation technologies have as little impact on the environment as photovoltaics. As it quietly generates electricity from light, PV produces no air pollution or hazardous waste. It doesn't require liquid or gaseous fuels to be transported or combusted. And because its energy source�sunlight�is free and abundant, PV systems can guarantee access to electric power.

PV frees us from the cost and uncertainties surrounding energy supplies from politically volatile regions. And in addition to reducing our trade deficit, a robust domestic PV industry creates new jobs and strengthens the U.S. economy. The Benefits of PV

Let's take a look at the many ways PV is bettering our world�today. We will explore why PV is important�

• To the EconomyTo Energy AssuranceTo the Environment To You

• It's highly reliable and needs little maintenance. It costs little to build and operate.It has virtually no environmental impact. It's produced domestically, strengthening our economy and reducing our trade deficit. It's modular and thus flexible in terms of size and applications. It meets the demand and capacity challenges facing energy service providers. It helps energy service providers manage uncertainty and mitigate risk.It serves both form and function in a building.

Why PV is Important to Energy Assurance

This remote water-level monitoring station uses photovoltaics to charge storage batteries that supply electric power to monitoring equipment. PV systems are ideal for disaster mitigation because they are modular and can be tailored to a wide range of electrical loads, sites, and uses. PV can play a critically important role in mitigating disaster through early warnings or remedial action.

The nation's current energy production and distribution infrastructure faces a number of physical threats because of its age and complexity and its potential vulnerability to national disasters and acts of terrorism. Building and maintaining the systems that handle electricity, water, communications, and transportation are costly in terms of both dollars and time.

Parts deteriorate naturally, maintenance can be inadequate, and systems are often complex and interdependent, relying on each other to function properly. All these factors come into play during major disruptions. Moreover, systems designed for the expected loads and capacities of the 20th century are often inadequate for today's greater needs, leading to failures such as power outages.

Depending on where you live, natural disasters might include hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, blizzards, or earthquakes. These unpredictable catastrophes can damage many of the components of our energy infrastructure. Think of ice storms that snap power lines, and earthquakes that cripple power plants. Human error can also be a culprit. Failure to monitor and maintain the proper pressure within a pipeline system used to transport oil, natural gas, or water, for example, can damage valves and gauges, requiring shutdowns that disrupt optimal flow.

And, as we've witnessed in several tragic events, it's an unfortunate fact of life that disasters can be intentional. Threats range from juvenile vandalism, to criminal sabotage by an individual, to well-planned terrorist attacks aimed at wreaking large-scale political, social, or economic havoc.

So how can PV strengthen America's energy security?

By providing highly reliable, low-cost electric power. By distributing energy throughout our systems in a more diversified way. By generating power that can be transported in portable systems to a disaster site, or anywhere where there is a crippling or dangerous grid power outage. By playing a larger, more active role in the energy mix when PV systems are built into new buildings. By using the free energy of the sun to free us from dependence on unreliable foreign sources of oil. The list goes on and on.

Let's take a brief look at each of PV's benefits to the nation-and to you.

Why PV is Important to the Environment

Solar electric systems�also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems�have very little impact on the environment, making them one of the cleanest power-generating technologies available. While they're operating, PV systems produce no air pollution, hazardous waste, or noise, and they require no transportable fuels. Because of these benefits, PV can play an important role in mitigating environmental problems like these:

Air Pollution

Ground-level air pollution has severe health and environmental effects and contributes to visibility problems in scenic areas. Traditional power sources are the largest contributor to this pollution; in contrast, solar power produces no air pollution. Find out more about PV and air pollution.

Global Warming

Global warming is causing a rise in sea levels, and this leads to a loss of coastal wetlands, erosion of shorelines, and increased flooding in coastal areas. Local and regional climate shifts can also have severe impacts on ecosystems and agriculture. Solar power produces no greenhouse gases, so it does not contribute to global warming. Find out more about PV and global warming.

Clean Energy Payback

Energy experts are evaluating the "energy payback" of PV systems-the time it takes a PV system to generate enough zero-emission energy to equal the energy used to produce it. Find out more about "clean energy paybacks."

Manufacturing and Production Implications

A variety of chemicals are used to produce PV cells. Some PV systems use small amounts of toxic chemicals such as cadmium and selenium. Using these chemicals causes PV factories to generate a small amount of hazardous waste, which is disposed of in accordance with local, state, and federal environmental laws. In terms of safety and health, simple protective and administrative measures effectively protect those who work on PV. In terms of the environment, PV production produces small amounts of waste materials, but it is minimal relative to emissions from conventional energy sources. Find out more about toxic and hazardous chemicals used in PV production.

PV Panel Disposal and Recycling

Because some toxic chemicals are used in making PV panels, disposal at the end of their useful life is another potential environmental issue. Now, only a small volume of PV panels is disposed of each year, so this is currently a minor issue. But the industry is already looking ahead toward recycling methods for future PV panels. Find out more about PV panel disposal and recycling.

Of course, no form of energy production is completely free of effects on the environment. As with any consumer product, the raw materials for PV systems must be shipped to factories, and completed products must be shipped from factories to consumers. In many cases, components may also be shipped from one factory to another for assembly. Transporting PV materials, components, and final products uses some energy and produces some air pollution and greenhouse gases, in addition to contributing slightly to traffic and noise problems.

Some energy is also used in manufacturing PV systems. However, efforts to minimize manufacturing costs and increase output are also reducing the amount of energy used to manufacture each PV system. Find out more about energy use in PV manufacturing and production.

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