Huh? What the heck does solar-generated electricity have to do with keeping drinking water clean and pure and abundant?
Other ways of generating electricity consume water in mind-boggling amounts.
Fracking for gas-powered electric plants takes millions of gallons of water for every gas well.
Coal mining uses tens of millions of gallons a day.
Even hydroelectric loses prodigious amounts of water to evaporation.
Using solar panels consumes no water, emits no pollution, and releases no greenhouse gases.
Manufacturing them, however, uses massive amounts of water and some pretty nasty chemicals.
So why is solar a better option?
In effect, electricity that comes from oil, gas, and coal uses water and spews pollution every time you turn on a light.
Solar has a one-time, upfront “pollution expense” when it’s manufactured-- and then provides decades of pollution-free, water-friendly electricity.
Like a lot of people in the Brodhead watershed, though, you may live in the woods, with way too much shade to even think about solar, no matter how much it protects water and human life on earth.
A different way to go solar
What if shade-dwellers, renters, and anyone who can’t afford the upfront cost of installing solar could tap into a community array of solar panels?
Community solar may be coming to Pennsylvania, if the state legislature and governor okay an initiative by State Senator Rosemary Brown. [Read more here.]
Community solar customers can either buy or lease a share of the solar panels in an offsite solar array. They get a credit on their regular electric bill for electricity generated by their share of the community system. So community solar saves money, too.
If getting electricity from the sun appeals to you, find out more about community solar in Pennsylvania. It has bipartisan support-- tell your state representatives to get on board!
Click Here to learn more about community solar in Pennsylvania.
Visit Brodhead’s Protecting Clean Water Together and Nature At Risk webpages for more stories in these series.
For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website or Follow them on Facebook. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Association. Click Here to become a member.
Related Articles:
-- Brodhead Watershed Assn. StreamWatch Volunteer Training May 20 In Monroe County [PaEN]
-- Register Now! 9th Annual Renewables Summit Set For May 22-23 Harrisburg [PaEN]
[Posted: April 28, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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