Solar power is hailed as one of the cleanest and safest ways to generate electricity and, as such, it even has an indirect influence on the physical well-being of mankind. There are so many reasons for you to switch your business to solar but not everyone mentions a reason that will affect all of us: Our health.
Archaic Means Of Electricity Generation Causes Health Problems
When you generate electricity using coal or radioactive materials, someone somewhere will get sick. That is not a maybe. It is an indisputable fact. Of course, those who work in the coal mines are more at risk from serious health conditions than an office worker in our inner cities, but we are all still at risk of developing health problems due to our dependence on fossil fuels.
The Mining Industry
It is not easy to work in a coal mine, and it is also not a safe workplace. Not only are you in danger of heatstroke, cave-ins and serious accidents that involve explosives, but you are also extremely likely to develop diseases such as silicosis due to the inhalation of small dust particles. If humankind can successfully make the switch to solar power, coal mines will no longer require manpower, and the people who would have had to work in mines can instead be employed by the solar industry and no longer be subjected to life-threatening working conditions.
Radioactive Waste
While working in a nuclear power plant is considered a safe occupation, one still has to consider all the by-products. Surely, these cannot be safe. The waste from nuclear plants has to be safely disposed of as it can pose a serious threat to all who come close to it. In South Africa, for example, it is said that nuclear waste generated by the nuclear plant Koeberg is transported and dumped in a place called Vaalputs. But it stands to reason that any “dumping ground” solution is merely a temporary one. Holes in the ground tend to fill up if we continue to dump hazardous waste into them. If the worst happens, this area will be ground zero of a serious nuclear explosion. The fact remains: Power generated using nuclear material should not be a long-term solution, even if it’s only from a public health point of view. This is why it is imperative that we switch to clean energy.
Emissions From Burning Coal
The act of generating electricity using the old coal method is more complicated than one might think. Coal is burned to heat water, the steam from boiling water spins a turbine connected to a generator and this generates electricity. The problem here is that burning coal emits noxious gases such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, and carbon dioxide into the air that we breathe. Even if you do not live right next to a fossil fuel power station, those gases still have the potential to reach you and we also know by now that carbon dioxide is a major contributor to climate change. But the worst pollution in our cities caused by fossil fuels is from our transport. Imagine a future where the cities are navigated by emission-free electrical vehicles, powered by solar stations.
Switch to clean energy. It’s the choice to make for everyone’s health. If you would like to find out more about our methods of making the switch to solar power more affordable, then click here and fill out the form on our Contact page.
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