From Guest Blogger Lizzie Weakly: Going Green–How Factories Everywhere Can Lower Emissions

Global warming is one of the most pressing issues of this century. It occurs naturally. However, as Jacqueline Lerche notes, pollution from human creations like factories has accelerated the process. Factory emissions lead to the production of ozone, carbon dioxide and methane, which when released into the air, enhance the greenhouse effect and produce more global warming. The detriment goes beyond the destruction of the environment, however. It extends to the economy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that global warming has led to losses in crop production each year that are equivalent to $500 million. In a decade, that amounts to a loss of $5 billion. Consequently, it is imperative to slow down global warming. Factories can help by lowering their emission of greenhouse gases.

Wind Power
One thing factories can do to lower their emissions is to turn to alternative forms of energy. One such energy is wind, which involves using the naturally occurring movements in the Earth’s atmosphere to generate electricity. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the use of wind energy was responsible for the displacement of 132 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. That is enough carbon dioxide to fuel 28.1 million cars! It also displaced 176,000 and 106,000 metric tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide respectively.

Solar Power
Solar energy is another form of energy that can be used to curb emissions. Per Solar World, solar energy converts naturally occurring energy from the sun into electricity using roof panels. It has not only lead to reductions in operating costs, but also to reductions in carbon footprints. The market for solar energy is a growing one, with installation increases amounting to 487% in the past 5 years.

SCR Technology
Another way to reduce factory emissions is to simply make upgrades to current equipment that use fossil fuel as an energy source. This is the idea behind the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology supplied by Nationwide Boiler. It reduces carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions while requiring relatively less changes to production methods and equipment style than a complete switch to wind or solar power would require. SCR has been successfully installed in over 100 places.

Global warming is happening and its harmful effects are already apparent. Thus, reducing factory emissions is a must. The choice, however, lies in how it is done. It is important to choose the method that integrally supports environmental, economic and commercial needs.