What is Clean Solar Energy & How It is Related to Climate Change [2024]

Wind turbines and solar panel systems are becoming increasingly common. This is because the emission of fossil fuels is overloading the atmosphere or water with carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. Clean solar energy is an attractive investment for US homeowners who pay high electricity prices and want to reduce their environmental impacts. For this reason, the US government is offering rebates and financial incentives to lower the initial solar panel investment cost.

Jackery Solar Generators, for example, work using free sunlight and help charge most household or outdoor appliances. They lower the reliance on fossil fuels and even on the utility grid. Another benefit of investing in solar generators is that homeowners can claim a tax rebate. For example, investing in the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus Kit (4 kWh) can claim up to $1139.7 as a residential clean energy credit.  

What is Clean Energy and Why Clean Energy Matters

Clean or "carbon-free" energy is the electricity generated by the facilities that do not emit greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Clean energy production helps generate energy without greenhouse gas emissions and other adverse environmental effects due to fossil fuels. Thus, this helps reduce climate change and preserve the planet. There are different types of clean energy sources available, such as

Nuclear Energy: It is a reliable carbon-free energy source from nuclear fission. The atoms split apart from smaller atoms to create heat in the process, which is then used to boil water into steam and power an electricity-creating turbine.

Hydroelectric Energy: Also called hydropower, it is created using the force of running water. The moving water spins the blade in the turbine to power the generator and produces energy.

Solar Energy: It works using solar panels that trap the sunlight and supply it to the inverter. It then converts the sunlight into AC electricity to power the household appliances.

Wind Energy: Wind energy is an easy-to-access energy source. It is generated when air blows across the blades of large turbines, causing them to rotate. This energy is harnessed and converted into electricity used in homes.

Geothermal Energy: It is produced using heat from within the Earth's core. Hole-drilling into the ground enables steam and water to rise to the surface. The water is then used to power turbines and generate electricity.

There are many benefits of clean energy, with the top two being environmental and financial incentives. The process of producing clean energy emits fewer pollutants, which is why it reduces environmental harm. Additionally, producing electricity from clean energy resources reduces reliance on other types of non-renewable fuel sources, such as coal.

How is Clean Energy Related to Climate Change?

Before we dive deep into how clean energy is related to climate change, it is important to understand what climate change is. In simple words, it is the long-term shifts occurring in Earth's temperature and weather patterns. There are many factors causing climate change with greenhouse gas emissions being the largest contributors. When fossil fuels like coal or oil burn, they release harmful greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

The use of clean energy sources, such as sunlight, wind, water, and nuclear energy, to generate electricity reduces greenhouse gas emissions and mitigates climate change. For this reason, the US government is planning to fund thousands of climate and clean energy projects, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The investment is part of the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. It aims to combat climate crises by catalyzing private and public capital for projects to slash harmful climate pollution. The goal is to reduce or eliminate up to 40 million metric tons of carbon pollution every year over the next seven years.

What Are America's Solutions for Clean Energy?

America's government is committed to transitioning from other power sources to a clean energy economy. The US state is planning to achieve its US climate goal of 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2025. For this reason, the government is offering energy resources at affordable prices for everyone. Below are a few solutions and financial incentives provided by the US government:

Natural Community Solar Partnership

The 40,000 LIHEAP-eligible households that have successfully enrolled in available community solar projects could see meaningful electricity bill savings. The savings will be in alignment with the National Community Solar Partnership goal of offering 20% household savings, equal to $370 per household annually.

Solar energy is much cheaper than average electric bill rates in many US states. Community solar allows multiple customers to benefit from a shared solar energy system. Thus, it provides an alternative way for individuals for savings who cannot access rooftop solar panel systems to save money on utility bills.

Rural Energy For America Program

In early 2024, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary announced an investment of $120 million in REAP (Rural Energy For America Program) projects across 44 states. The aim behind the loan is to offer loans and incentives to agriculture producers and rural small business owners for expanding their use of solar, wind, and any other forms of clean energy. Thus, these financial incentives will help them grow their business, increase income, lower energy costs, and address climate change.

Fertilizer Production Expansion Program

Through the FPEP (Fertilizer Production Expansion Program), the USDA has invested over $174 million to support around 42 projects nationwide to increase domestic fertilizer production. The program provides grants to agriculture business owners and independent farmers, helping them produce fertilizers. These funds or grants can be used to adopt new technologies, modernize equipment, and build fertilizer production plants.

Renewable Energy Rule

The USDA also announced updating its renewable energy regulations to promote the development of wind and solar energy on public lands. The rule will lower the capacity fees for these projects by 80%, which will facilitate solar and wind development in priority areas. These steps are taken to achieve a fully carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

How to Lower Energy Costs?

The majority of Americans support programs offered by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which is designed to lower energy costs and expand clean energy into homes. The government is cutting costs for American households in every corner of the country. Americans spend most of their income on cooling, heating, and powering their homes. The lowest-income households in the US spend upward of 30% of their income on utility or energy bills.

Here are some of the programs offered through the Inflation Reduction Act to lower home energy costs:

• In the US, households that install an efficient electric heat pump for cooling and heating are entitled to receive a tax credit of up to $2000, which will save them $500 per year on their energy bills.
• Installing geothermal, rooftop solar, or battery storage at the house can save up to 30% of the total cost of installation via a tax credit. Thus, it can help them save nearly $400 annually on their energy bills.
• Families making energy efficiency improvements at home can claim tax credits up to $150 for a home energy audit, $500 for doors, and $600 for windows. They might also receive up to 30% of the total installation cost or a total of $1,200 per year in tax credits.

The DOE has also opened applications for states to implement $8.8 billion in home energy rebate programs. These programs provide rebates for low—and middle-income families who buy and install cost-saving electric appliances and heat pumps. They're also applicable to homeowners making energy-efficient improvements such as air sealing and insulation.

Many US states, like Florida, California, Texas, etc., offer financial incentives and rebates to homeowners installing solar panel systems. It's advised to search for Florida solar incentives, California solar incentives, or Texas solar incentives to apply and earn rebates. Some tax rebates, such as the Federal Solar Tax Credit, are applicable in most US states and allow you to earn up to 30% off in tax rebates.

Jackery Solar Generators to Invest in Clean Energy Investments

Jackery is a reputable brand known for manufacturing and selling portable power stations, solar panels, and solar generators. The Jackery Solar Generators combine efficient Jackery Explorer Portable Power Stations and portable Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels to produce usable electricity from the sun's rays.

The Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels are built with monocrystalline silicon solar cells to convert direct sunlight into DC electricity. With the solar cables, this DC electricity is transferred to the Jackery Explorer Portable Power Station, and the pure sine wave inverter converts DC to usable AC electricity. You can plug appliances directly into the output ports of the portable power station to charge them.

Jackery Solar Generators are a clean investment since they use solar panels to convert renewable energy into clean electricity. Investing in these solar generators can help you claim up to 30% off in tax rebates with the Federal Solar Tax Credit or Residential Clean Energy Credit. In order to claim the grant, all you need to do is fill out the Form 5695. Here are the three popular battery-powered generators for households from Jackery.

Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro

The Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro is a large and reliable charging solution that's designed to power household appliances, such as refrigerators, space heaters, air conditioners, TVs, laptops, and more. Despite being a powerful solar generator, it has double wheels and a sturdy handle to move the power station from one place to another — making it an ideal solution for extended RV trips. Investing in the Jackery Solar Generator 3000 Pro will not only help you reduce — or even eliminate — high electricity bills but also earn a tax rebate of up to $839.7.