Straight talk about renewable solar power and the environment.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of global warming and the Greenhouse Effect or global cooling (data shows that worldwide temperatures have actually fallen since 2001), everybody knows the climate is changing.

Reducing the introduction of pollutants into the environment can only have a positive effect at keeping environmental equillibrium.  Ideally, humans would strive to zero out their effect of introducing environmental pollutants into the atmosphere.

Mostly for marketing purposes, the anti-solar crowd has unsuccessfully tried to label the solar manufacturing industry as a contributor to environmental pollution.  The solar equipment manufacturing process and the processing of raw materials used for solar equipment manufacturing does have a polluting effect on the environment.  What is never mentioned is the depth and repetition of the introduction of pollutants into the environment compared to all manufacturing prcesses.  And specifically, the production and use of energy products.  Here's the deal.  No spin, no marketing ...just facts.

Sans solar, wind and hydro power, all other energy products, oil - natural gas - coal - nuclear - biomass/biofuel - geothermal are all single use energy sources.  They are used only once, "forever."  After the entire pollution process of manufacturing, transportation and use, their polluting process starts all over again and repeats itself during consumption, time and time again.

That's not the deal with true renewables like solar, wind and hydro.  When you specifically itemize solar, the lifespan of production renewal and use is 25 years or more.  One solar panel provides energy every time its exposed to sunlight.... time and time again, without pollution and without maintenance.

So the next time someone tries to compare the polluting effect of solar power to just about anything else on the planet, just ask them "how many times you can burn the same gallon of gas, lump of coal or barrel of crude oil?" The only factual answer is... "once."

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