PV Benefits:
Even when the emissions related to solar cell manufacturing are counted, photovoltaic generation produces less than 15% of the carbon dioxide from a conventional coal fired power plant (EPA, 2001).
Using solar energy to supply a million homes with energy would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.3 million tones per year, the equivalent of removing 850,000 cars from the road (EPA, 2001).
Energy industry researchers estimate that less than 60,000 square kilometers of land is required to meet all United States power needs (EPA, 2001).
PV panels can be integrated into building surfaces, eliminating additional land use (EPA, 2001).
Solar energy systems need less space to produce a megawatt of electricity when compared to a coal-fired power plant when the land devoted to mining is factored in (EPA, 2001).