Why Solar? > Energy Security

For individuals

In the event of a power outage, solar panels, when outfitted with a back-up battery system, can continue to provide energy for homeowners. This is particularly true during the summer months, when the sun shines often and demand for electricity peaks when everyone turns on their AC units. In recent years, we’ve seen several instances of summer-time utility failure. Most notable were the great Northeast Blackout of 2003 and California’s rolling blackouts throughout the early 2000s.

For the country

In the U.S., petroleum accounts for about 40 percent of all energy consumption. Of that, about 60 percent is currently imported from abroad. By 2025, this figure is expected to climb to 70 percent. As we’ve seen in recent years, oil is prone to price shocks and interruptions in supply. While pure energy independence is unrealistic, promoting energy efficiency and diversifying the number of domestic sources of power are effective ways of securing America against such shocks.

For the planet

Globally, the two biggest sources of energy, oil and coal, are also the two biggest sources of manmade greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—heavy contributors to global warming. Solar energy is a zero-emissions technology that, over time, will play an increasing role in reducing our impact on the world’s climate.

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