Putting solar panels on company buildings has become very popular recently. Solar power started as a way for businesses to save money on electricity bills and help the environment. However, solar panels now offer additional benefits, enhancing the safety and security of buildings. Companies have realized solar energy can help them handle many future problems better.
Companies Are Switching to Solar Power Fast
Across all types of companies, from small stores to huge factories, solar panel installations have shot up over the past 10 years. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, solar power capacity has grown over 40 times larger as prices have dropped and panels have become more efficient.
A 2021 report showed that commercial solar panel growth was the fastest compared to that of government buildings. The International Energy Agency expects solar power to provide 20% of all global electricity by 2027. So solar energy is becoming a very important way to power buildings.
Already over 60% of the biggest 500 companies in the U.S. have set goals to use much more renewable solar and wind energy. The message is clear – solar power is key for companies to stay competitive and deal with future threats.
What are the Benefits of Switching to Solar?
Installing solar panels on buildings offers more than just a trend. Here are two significant benefits driving companies:
- Major cost savings: Electricity from solar panels costs 10-20% less than from utility companies, says the Solar Energy Industries Association. For stores, warehouses and factories that use tons of power, savings can be in the millions.
- Going green: Companies want to cut carbon emissions from their buildings to have less environmental impact. Those seen backing renewable solar energy also get more public goodwill and investor support.
But that’s not all. Having their own supply of solar electricity also makes companies safer from problems that might hit the main power grid – as we’ll see next.
Decentralized Solar Power Leads to More Secure Buildings
Decentralized solar power provides a robust solution for enhancing the security of buildings and critical infrastructure. Unlike the centralized grid, commercial solar installation services enable electricity generation at the site of consumption, minimizing the risks associated with a centralized power system.
Solar units instead produce electricity at the final buildings, consuming the power – a decentralized setup. With fewer single points of failure, decentralized solar energy avoids several security threats:
- Lowers chance of widespread blackouts
- Limits grid attacks from impacting large areas
- Keeps vital operations running through big disasters
- Makes key services like healthcare more reliable
With the addition of solar systems to more data centers, hospitals, transport hubs, and warehouses, their decentralized power enhances overall safety.
Keeping the Lights On When the Grid Fails
The weather can easily disrupt normal electric grids, costing the U.S. $150 billion a year. However, solar units paired with batteries can provide continuous power day and night, despite bad weather.
Resilience Metrics:
- 24/7 electricity, even during longer blackouts
- Over 80-90% drop in power failure durations
- Can separate from the main grid easily when needed
Walmart utilized solar panels and batteries at 500 stores in California to avoid blackout costs. Their systems successfully disconnect from the failing main grid over 100 times yearly, ensuring steady sales even during wildfires and earthquakes.
Hospitals, call centers, and servers running Google or Facebook require continuous power in their buildings. Solar resilience lets them keep assisting people non-stop even when disaster strikes the main grid.
Improved Physical Security
On top of electricity resilience, advanced security features can be integrated right into solar panel setups:
Enhanced Monitoring
- Networked cameras, motion sensors across large areas
- Central monitoring with real-time threat alerts
- Analytics to quickly catch unusual activity
Access Control
- Software tracking doors and checkpoints
- Instant warnings about intruders
- Fences with remote-activated locks
The Atlanta International Airport uses its huge solar installation to monitor its vast outer perimeters better. For places managing valuable goods like airports or warehouses, such abilities are essential for safety.
Cybersecurity Isolation from the Grid
Regular grids now face growing online threats – foreign hacker groups, ransomware attacks and more. But solar microgrids mostly run independently off-the-grid, using their own small control networks.
This self-contained design offers natural cybersecurity benefits:
- Greatly lowers external entry points for hackers
- Limits centralized parts that can have vulnerabilities
- Stops breaches from spreading extensively
By making and using power internally, solar buildings avoid grid ties that can expose them to hacks. And local battery or generator backups provide extra insulation against disruptions.
As electric vehicles, medical devices and smart building controls plug into microgrids, strict cyber protections get critical. State-of-the-art safeguards like encrypted signals, firewalls, and intrusion detection will be essential here.
Solar Systems Handle Climate Threats Better
Climate change worsens hurricanes, fires, floods and other disasters that endanger power infrastructure. Solar energy’s flexibility helps buildings stand up to such threats.
Firstly, solar panels and batteries work reliably, come rain or shine. Secondly, microgrids can disconnect from the main grid during failures while still supplying power. Thirdly, sturdy solar equipment reduces physical risks.
Gearing up for worsening environmental dangers helps guarantee companies can keep functioning through the worst disasters. Storm-prone Florida and Texas have prioritized such preparations to ensure essential services help communities when calamity strikes
Conclusion
Our climate’s increasing volatility demands organizations reinforce building safety as blackouts, cyber attacks and extreme weather threaten business operations. Solar power’s unique security benefits enable reliable 24/7 functioning through diverse threats.
Aside from financial savings, incorporating decentralized renewable solar energy is critical infrastructure investment. It shelters vital services from both physical and digital risks as uncertainty rises in the coming years. By minimizing disruptions and enabling organizations to focus on their real purpose, solar energy builds the foundation for stability and success.
Transforming business facilities today reaps rewards now and safeguards our future. Organizations that embrace climate security planning and renewable power will lead their industries for decades to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do solar panels make buildings more secure, exactly?
Solar provides decentralized power even if the main grid goes down. Backup batteries store enough electricity for hours or days of uptime. Networked solar systems also enable expansive camera coverage and access controls.
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Don’t internet-connected solar panels increase cyberattack risks?
While solar components communicate to optimize energy production, external net connections aren’t necessary. Critical controls can stay fully isolated on separate, restricted internal networks guarded by robust multi-factor authentication. This separation slashes cyber risks dramatically.
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Can solar microgrids keep facilities running for long outages?
Absolutely. – modern solar arrays with large batteries can independently sustain operations for weeks during grid failures. Integrating them with generators or fuel cells provides further redundancy for extreme circumstances.
