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Consumers Choosing Wind and Solar

If you’re wondering about those funny panels on your neighbor’s roof, or if a wind turbine has suddenly cropped up down the road, don’t be surprised. With widely fluctuating energy prices and a push to reduce dependence on foreign oil, homeowners are increasingly turning to renewable energy systems to heat and cool their homes.

Demand for solar panels doubled over the past five years in the United States, while sales of small wind turbines jumped 62 percent in a single year. That doesn’t mean people are giving up standard electricity completely, of course. Rather than going “off the grid,” most systems are hybrid versions that combine wind or solar power with traditional power sources.

The combination allows homeowners to reap substantial savings on their annual power bills, though the up-front costs of installing hybrid systems mean it can take 15-30 years to recoup the initial investment.

But many people don’t do it for purely economic reasons. There’s a growing desire to reduce not only our dependence on foreign fuel, but also our impact on global warming. Climate change is a direct result of burning fossil fuels (used to generate electricity). The more we rely upon clean energy sources such as wind or solar power, harnessing the earth’s natural resources, the less we contribute to global warming.

To read more about this story, click here.

To learn more about simple steps you can take to reduce your impact on global warming, visit www.fightglobalwarming.com.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org