Staff Writer: Chelsey Schweitzer

Electricity plays a large part in the life of the average American. Using solar panels to power residences and workplaces can help people save money as well as the environment.

Solar power can come from many different sources, some of which are much “greener” than others. One of the cleanest forms of energy that is available today is solar energy, which uses solar panels to create electricity from the sun’s rays.

Solar panels serve as a more positive alternative to coal or nuclear energy as it reduces the amount of greenhouse gases and pollutants that are released into the air. If enough people were to switch to solar energy, this would slow the rate of global warming and fossil fuel consumption. This form of energy is less likely to drain precious resources as the sun is an energy source that is present the majority of the time. There are even technologies available that allow for the storage of electricity generated from the solar panels for use at night or on cloudy and rainy days.

Not only do solar panels save the environment, they also save people money. While solar panels can be expensive to install initially depending on the company being used and the type of panel being installed, once the initial payment is taken care of the panels will immediately begin to save consumers money. According to the newspaper “The Observer,” energy prices have increased by approximately 37 percent since Oct. 2010. These price increases on electricity do not apply to solar panels. There are even federal and state incentives that allow for people with solar panels to save additional money through tax breaks and other methods depending on where you live.

I believe that more people should switch to solar energy. Although solar energy is not necessarily cheap to begin with, it ends up saving money in the long run and requires little to no maintenance depending on the type of panels purchased. More important than the financial savings, solar panels are better for the environment and much safer than the majority of the methods currently used to provide the United States with energy. Improvements are constantly being made to solar panels to help produce newer and more efficient models and at an international level. Solar energy could help to slow global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of fossil fuels.