Isra-Mart srl:Communities, Businesses Slash Carbon Emissions with Solar Power

www.isra-mart.com

Isra-mart srl news:

Solar energy is nearly carbon-free – just about the only carbon that is produced in a solar module’s lifecycle comes in the manufacturing process. Because solar power is so green, many cities and businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint are going solar.

Tampa, Florida, for example, is installing solar-powered trash compactors in four heavily trafficked areas. Tampa isn’t the first city to use the compactors – they can be seen around Boston, New York and other cities, and some colleges and universities have adopted them, too.

The compactors, which are made by a Massachusetts company called BigBelly Solar, aren’t cheap; they cost between $2,195 and $3,995, the Tampa Tribune says. But because they can store much more trash than a regular can – 180 gallons versus a normal trash receptacle’s 32 gallons – municipal garbage trucks don’t need to visit them as often as they do regular cans. By making fewer trips, Tampa’s sanitation department burns less fuel – saving money and emitting less carbon in the process.

Trash experts say the compactors pay for themselves over the long run. “If they’re not saving money, they’re not worth having,” Bryant Johnson, the manager of community and municipal relations at private waste-disposal company Waste Management, told the Tribune.

Some companies are concerned about their carbon output, too. Not only are many corporate stakeholders calling for increased sustainability, but businesses can realize significant savings by reducing their energy use.

One carbon-conscious company is Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, a grocery chain with stores in Arizona, California and Nevada. The retailer announced this week that it is installing solar arrays at nine of its Arizona outlets.

In aggregate, the Arizona solar installations will have 410 kilowatts of capacity – enough to offset the emissions of about 22 million pounds of carbon over the next 25 years.

The chain has already installed solar power at its distribution facility in Riverside, California – the sun produces one-fifth of the energy that the building needs.

As Waste Management’s Johnson hinted, the real benefit to lowering carbon output is the cost savings that can be enjoyed. It’s the promise of savings – on top of the desire to become more sustainable – that is driving businesses and municipalities to invest in solar installations.