Solar energy and environmental impacts Research Paper

Solar energy and environmental impacts - Research Paper Example Solar energy is copious in the earth and it suggests important potential for the alleviation of climate change; therefore, it is desirable due to its inherently small burden on the environment and has opportunities for positive social impacts. This is further helped by the fact that the cost of solar technologies has been reduced to significant proportions and technical advances coupled with favorable public policies that has resulted into reduction of costs. The use of solar technologies has the advantage of having low lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other forms of fossil fuels. This is because the production of solar energy through the photovoltaics (PV) emits no pollution nor does it emit greenhouse gases (Fell, 2012). Moreover, it has the effect of improving the health and livelihood of most of the world’s poorest neighborhoods as it addresses the gaps that is not filled by the available modern energy services (IEA, 2010). Environmental Impacts A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that the development of solar on lands that are deemed desert by disturbing the caliche deposits found underground leading to the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A similar study has equally found that the development of a solar plant could cause emission of about 6000 metric tons of carbon each year from the disturbance caused by the plant (Wall Street, 2010). Forests play a crucial role in the life of both plants and animals and hence any form of deforestation hinders the proper functioning of these species thus damaging the atmosphere. The role played by forests in human life cannot be gain said and therefore when they are cut to create room for solar plants, the absorption of carbon dioxide ceases or the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere when the tree is left to rot or is burnt. This has the overall effect of occasioning carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere that eventually leads to climate change. This is what happens during the installation of large-scale solar-power projects as ecosystems are interfered with when huge tracts of land are put in use. Forests have to be cleared to prevent shading of solar panels and allow for easy installation of solar posts. The removal of the forests thereafter leads to a change in the natural carbon sequestration rate that thereafter affects the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere. It is important to note that land use will ultimately affect the climate of a place including the local climate, microclimate and the temperature of the surface of land. Therefore, when solar panels which usually have low reflectivity and utilizes or converts large amounts of solar insulation into heat, there is the likelihood it may affect the global climate or the climate of a particular place. To minimize the effects that come about because of land use, it is important that when a solar installation is to be put in place by any stakeholder, the land selected should be in areas with low population density that translates into a low environmental sensitivity. Solar Energy and Climate Change The use of solar energy has an advantage in the sense that carbon savings derived from the use of solar energy outweighs the development of this form of energy. This means that a solar plant can save nearly 560, 000 metric tons of carbon per year (Wall Street, 2010). There is therefore a need to expand the solar power potential in order to meet the climate

Manage oh$s task 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Manage oh$s task 3 - Essay Example ent and policy, planning, implementation, measurement and evaluation, and management review of the health and safety systems in order to ensure continuous improvement to the plan. The plan covers employees, visitors to the department, contractors and suppliers, and to a limited extent, students. This policy recognises that the ADMC is responsible for the health and safety of all employees in the workplace. In fulfilling this responsibility the management of ADMC has a duty to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. To meet the objectives of this policy checks should be made regularly to ensure that the following is adhered to: State (Y/N) A successful OHSMS is based on continuous improvement of the cycle. Continuous improvement is about doing things, reviewing them and improving them where possible. The Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA) strategy can be used to ensure continuous improvement. This is discussed in the following sections. 15.5 Act - If checks carried out reveal that things are not going according to plan then the process has to be reviewed. Even if checking reveals that things are working well it is still important that some improvements are made to the process on a timely basis. This challenges the Safety Manager to think outside of the box. The actions need to also be integrated into other aspects of the operations. Provision of biological and sanitary waste bins, encourage staff to wash hand after using rest rooms, advise pregnant women if case exists, infected persons to be referred for medical treatment, provide information on signs and symptoms of communicable disease, sterilise contaminated areas, sanitation and cleaning schedule, workplace inspections, provide gloves, safety goggles to cleaners buy less or non hazardous substances, store hazardous substances in flame proof cabinets and locked storage rooms, install fire detection systems and fire extinguishers, carry out emergency evacuation