By swapping solar photovoltaics for coal, the US could prevent 51,999 premature deaths a year, potentially making as much as $2.5 million for each life saved.
Tens of thousands of Americans die prematurely each year from air pollution-related diseases associated with burning coal.
By transitioning to solar photovoltaics (PV) in the US, up to 51,999 American lives would be saved at $1.1 million invested per life.
"Unlike other public health investments, you get more than lives saved," says Joshua Pearce, a professor of materials science and electrical engineering at Michigan Tech.
They gathered data from peer-reviewed journals and the Environmental Protection Agency to calculate US deaths per kilowatt hour per year for both coal and solar.
Then they used current costs of solar installations from the Department of Energy and calculated the potential return on investment.
Doing so will continue to illuminate the multiple positive impacts of solar power and its potential to do more than keep the lights on. »
![image for [image] goals](c1c83b28-4415-5fa9-964b-c16b1eab20b5_thumb.jpg)
