Report: Solar power delivers more than ‘just’ clean energy

Solar energy is more than just a cleaner way to power our lives.

Solar energy is more than just a cleaner way to power our lives.

“The True Value of Solar,” a report published July 11 by our national research partner, Environment America Research & Policy Center, details some of solar power’s benefits above and beyond the clean electricity it provides.

Not only does solar meet our energy needs and make the power grid more reliable, it also helps reduce global warming emissions, along with other forms of pollution that threaten public health. Most studies fail to account for these “beyond the grid” benefits, resulting in energy policies that are often set based on data that fail to accurately reflect solar’s true value.

“We need to do everything in our power to encourage more Americans to go solar because it benefits everyone,” said Emma Searson, director of our national network’s Go Solar campaign. “Let’s not rely on bad math that undermines the very programs that make it possible.”

Read the report.

Photo: Rooftop solar panels such as these have benefits over and above the electricity they provide. Credit: Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock