2 of 3 posts – Renewable Energy Enjoys Another Year of Record Growth in 2021
The latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that the world has installed a total of about 290GW of new renewable energy generation capacity, mostly in the form of wind turbines and solar panels.
According to the US Department of Energy, it roughly equates to the output of over 900 million solar panels, and it’s enough to power thirty-one billion, nine hundred million LED light bulbs. If the current trends remain on track, renewable energy generating capacity is likely to outstrip the capacity of fossil fuels and nuclear energy (combined) by 2026.
Renewables are set to account for 95% of the increase in global power generation capacity from now until the end of 2026. However, it’s worth noting that this is still only about half of what’s required to meet Net Zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century.
Net zero has never been more important
CSR should be right at the top of your agenda this year. The public and commercial sector are expecting businesses to be ever more rigorous about measuring their impact on the environment, and bringing in more measures to mitigate it – which is exactly where commercial solar panels come in.
Commercial solar panels provide a significant range of short and long-term benefits to your business, doing everything from helping you save money on your energy bills, to giving you more energy security against turbulent market hikes and troughs. Crucially though, when it comes to CSR, they serve as tangible and demonstrable evidence of your commitment to transforming your energy supply.
5 signs your business is a good fit for solar panels
- Your business has available space
As a rule of thumb, just one square foot of space has the potential to produce about 15 watts of energy. So basically, if you have large, free and unused areas (be it the roofing of your business or the surrounding land) these could be the perfect spaces for installing solar panels.
- Your locations get a lot of sunlight
On top of having available space, it’s also important that these areas get a lot of sunlight. Ideally these should be south-facing in the northern hemisphere, as this orientation will give the optimum and most direct amount of sunlight. You can of course still look to invest in solar panels if the areas you’ve earmarked aren’t south-facing, but you should check they’re not overlooked or in shadow from other structures, buildings or wildlife.
- You run an energy-intensive business
If your business operations are on a larger scale, particularly in areas like tech and manufacturing, the chances are your current energy consumption and energy costs are quite high. Solar panels can be a fantastic means of bringing such expenses down.
- You’d benefit from solar security with your energy
If you’re operating in a sector that heavily relies on electricity and where even the smallest downtime due to power cuts could be catastrophic, solar energy can help provide energy security, as well as added peace of mind your business won’t grind to a halt.
- You want to improve your CSR
Last but not least, a sure sign that solar panels could be right for your business is if you want to improve your Corporate Social Responsibility. Having solar panels is an incredibly effective means of showing your business is making a concerted effort to help fight climate change and is being mindful of its energy use.
Featured News
13 September 2024
