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Prolific Solar Systems |
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GO GREEN |
GLOBAL WARMING EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS |
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Global Warming The effects of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future. They’re happening right now. Signs are appearing all over, and some of them are surprising. The heat is not only melting glaciers and sea ice; it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move.
Impacts of Global warming are already experienced, happening everywhere across the world in the form of acid rains, pollution, deforestation, wildlife, increasing natural calamities are the some of the few to name.
The main cause for the global warming is the greenhouse gasses emission; one of the first things scientists learned is that there are several greenhouse gases responsible for warming, and humans emit them in a variety of ways. Most come from the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories and electricity production. The gas responsible for the most warming is carbon dioxide, also called CO2. Other contributors include methane released from landfills and agriculture (especially from the digestive systems of grazing animals), nitrous oxide from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration and industrial processes, and the loss of forests that would otherwise store CO2.
Causes of Global Warming Until recently, there hasn't been much of a choice but to use the electricity provided by conventional methods. With advances in technology and increased consumer awareness, however, solar electricity is now a very feasible option. So, while you'll be lowering your electric bill, you'll also be helping to raise our air quality. Global warming is caused by the amount of greenhouse gases we release into the environment, these gases are emitted while producing electricity, driving cars and producing good (industries). Some Facts about greenhouse gases emissions In 2006, total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States were 7,181.4 million metric tons carbon equivalent, of this total, 5,825.5 million metric tons, or 82 percent, was due to carbon emissions from the combustion of energy fuels U.S. emissions in a global perspective, the United States produced about 22 percent of the worldwide energy-related carbon emissions in 2006. The greater percentage of the carbon dioxide released is from generating electricity using Fossil fuels (Traditional sources of Energy) Coal which accounts for 49% consumed electricity others are petroleum.
Solution Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases (GHGs) today, the Earth would still warm by another degree Fahrenheit or so. But what we do from today forward makes a big difference.
A commonly cited goal is to stabilize GHG concentrations around 450-550 parts per million (ppm), or about twice pre-industrial levels. This is the point at which many believe the most damaging impacts of climate change can be avoided.
Researchers Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow at Princeton University have suggested one approach that they call "stabilization wedges." This means reducing GHG emissions from a variety of sources with technologies available in the next few decades, rather than relying on an enormous change in a single area. There are many possible wedges, including improvements to energy efficiency and vehicle fuel economy (so less energy has to be produced), and increases in wind and solar power, hydrogen produced from renewable sources, bio fuels (produced from crops), natural gas, and nuclear power. There is also the potential to capture the carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuels and store it underground—a process called "carbon sequestration."
Alternative Energy Alternative energies like solar and wind energy are one of the several wedges which are the possible solutions to reduce the greenhouse gases.
SOLAR energy is produced from the solar radiation and is called solar insolation. GA is the one the best places to receive higher solar isolation. Every hour the sun beams onto Earth more than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for an entire year. Solar energy is the technology used to harness the sun's energy and make it useable. Today, the technology produces less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand. Many people are familiar with so-called photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, found on things like spacecraft, rooftops, and handheld calculators. The cells are made of semiconductor materials like those found in computer chips. When sunlight hits the cells, it knocks electrons loose from their atoms. As the electrons flow through the cell, they generate electricity.
The solar insolation in Georgia is rated best amongst the different states across united states which we can clearly observe from the solar insolation
And by using more solar electricity, fewer power plants that produce greenhouse gases would need to be built.
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