The primary benefits of interconnected solar or grid-tied solar are widely recognized as electricity bill reduction, carbon emission offset, and improved resiliency; all of which are excellent benefits of solar panels. However, there are many less commonly noted benefits that impact the system owner, electric grid, local economy, and the environment. Read on to discover these hidden and often surprising reasons to love solar PV and promote increased solar energy production.
Hidden Reasons to Love Solar PV
1. Eases Power Grid Strain
Grid-tied solar panels produce the most power when the grid is under the most strain – in the heat of the summer. Summer is the time the grid is under the most stress from the use of air conditioners. This is also the time of year when peaker plants get fired up (using coal and natural gas) to meet this heightened load – at higher rates and cost to the environment. The more solar that gets connected to the grid the less reason we will have to use peaker plants, which you, the ratepayer pay for in your electricity rate.
The bonus benefit of releasing grid strain? More solar = less electricity rate escalation.
2. Opens Doors to Community Acceptance and Business Licenses
Solar PV can be leveraged to gain community acceptance for operating a business in certain locations. For example, some states have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana. These states have allowed local communities to decide if they will open their doors to these businesses – many communities have developed requirements and scorecards to evaluate and then decide if they will issue a recreational license to shops based on building and business characteristics. The use of Solar PV is often one of the attributes that improve the score on an application, and the likelihood a business will receive a license to do business in that community.
3. Provides Habitat for Pollinators
Utility-scale solar, commonly called “solar farms” use acres and acres of land to generate large amounts of electricity for the grid’s use. Once the panels are installed, this land can be used for native wildflowers and local pollinators; in fact, this is often a requirement by the local community for these projects to move forward. Save the bees!
4. Zero Noise and Light Pollution
Solar panels have no light or noise pollution. Compared to a natural gas or coal power plant, a solar farm will not impact species of birds and animals that are nocturnal. They furthermore do not generate any noise when they are functioning making them an attractive option for energy-generating.
5. More Solar Increases Our Grid Security – And Resilience
The more distributed assets that are connected to the grid the more resilient our communities and nation become. This is a true paradigm shift as we move away from the centralized power generation of the past to many, smaller generating facilities across the grid.
6. More Solar Construction Means Jobs are Created
Just like any other construction project in the community, jobs get created as firms grow and projects come to fruition. Those paychecks are more likely to be spent locally than abroad.
7. Minimizes Operations and Maintenance Costs for Power Production
Solar PV has a lower Operations and Maintenance (O&M) cost than traditional coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy generation strategies. Depending on climate there might be no yearly maintenance cost. This is a huge benefit to utilities because O&M costs are a large portion of a utility company’s budget. By decreasing these costs ratepayers can save money!
8. Roof-Mounted Solar PV Protects and Extends Roof life
Roof-mounted solar PV will extend the lifecycle of asphalt shingle, rubber EPDM, or other similar roof types. This is because they shield the section of the roof from the harmful UV rays from the sun. They also prevent snow from sitting on the roof and doing freeze-thaw cycles which can create ice dams and other problems.
These benefits, along with the primary benefits of solar, are key to understanding the full value proposition of installing solar panels – on a home, business, or a utility-scale solar farm. The impact of grid-tied solar goes far beyond lowering your electricity bills or reducing your carbon footprint, they improve the local economy, wildlife habitat, and benefit the grid in undervalued ways. The more solar that becomes interconnected to the grid the more resilient will be our communities.
If you or another business is interested in having an undeniable impact on your triple bottom line give us a call for a free consultation to see if solar is right for you! Call (248) 923-3456 or request a Free Online Solar Analysis for Your Business.
Michigan Solar Solutions is a commercial and residential solar installer and electrical contractor that has served the lower peninsula of Michigan since 2007. We have installed thousands of panels and have a happy customer near you, check out what our customers think of us Guild Quality.