Conventional forms of energy often leave the customer at the mercy of their local utilities. Solar panels offer a new degree of independence to Long Island customers. Even if your solar panels don’s provide your home or business with all of the energy needed on a daily basis, they will considerably cut the amount of conventional forms of power used. If they happen to produce more energy than they require, utilities might actually pay you for it at a varying wholesale rate. If you hire a contractor to install such solar panels, could potentially turn them into a serious source of income.

State and federal agencies are now offering handsome subsidies for people who chose to install solar panels or solar heating devices in their homes. In some areas, these subsidies are available to businesses as well. The way it works is that those with solar energy devices can claim tax credits relative to the energy generation capacity installed on their property, thus turning the initial cost of having a contractor install your solar panels into a promising and profitable investment.

Solar panels have a minimal environmental impact, aside from production which does require some raw materials and energy to be created. None of the harmful carbon, methane or particulate emissions that more conventional forms of energy produce are emitted by the use of solar panels. There also is no extensive mining or drilling operations required to fuel them, which have have been known to severely damage essential ecosystems. Panels can also don’t rely on pipes or wires that cut through local environments, so the physical footprint left by solar energy is much more manageable than conventional forms of energy as well. Widespread solar panel installation means a cleaner, safer, more environmentally stunning Long Island for this and future generations.

The solar power industry has created tens of thousands of jobs in the last decade alone. Opponents of alternative energy technologies have been arguing for decades that such industries destroy more fossil-fuel related jobs than they create, a claim which is simply false. These arguments are funded by some of the largest multinational corporations afraid of losing the choke hold they have on the energy market, which earns a small number of individuals billions in profit each year. Solar panel production creates jobs at every step of the process, from their creation, to the contractors who install them, technicians, salespeople, battery storage designers, and a number of other related jobs on Long Island and nationwide.

The United State’s reliance on conventional energy sources such as oil, gas, and other fossil fuels has caused immeasurable damage over the last couple of decades. We are often hesitant to use the resources we have within our own borders for fear of environmental catastrophes, causing us to import much of our energy resources from hostile countries or regions. Many view our presence to be a manifestation of greed and imperialism, sparking wars and inciting violence around the globe. Political and business leaders often make unpleasant compromises with questionable and even dangerous parties just to ensure steady energy imports. A widespread switch to solar energy would eliminate such problems. All the solar power we need can be produced right here in the United States within our own borders, thus making us energy independent. On a global scale, this type of change could very well result in a decrease in anti-American sentiment, therefore delivering a striking blow to terrorist organizations intent on harming the US. Not only does solar power have the potential of increasing our economic security, but our physical security as well.