Tree Vs. Solar Rooftop, Which Offset More Carbon Dioxide.

Tree vs. Solar Rooftop system is the most common question that has not been answered. Plating of tree is very good for environment but is it as good as installing a Solar Rooftop system?  I feel going for Solar Rooftop installation has more benefits than planting a tree, here is why(this comparison is based only on the amount of carbon dioxide(CO2) offset by tree and Solar Rooftop system).

Here I will explain on the bases of how much carbon dioxide (CO2) can be offset by both the system in given time frame.

As per U.S Department of Energy a 30 year old tree observes 90.7 kg of CO2 per year. We have done some assumption to consider a 30 year old tree as different tree species have different growth rate,  size etc. I have considered the average size, growth rate Etc. to calculate the carbon dioxide observation.

Now, let’s see how much Carbon Dioxide can a home Solar Rooftop system can offset in a year.

According to a 2014 study by Central Electricity Authority, Government of INDIA

1kWh or 1 Unit of electricity produces 1kG of CO2.

Let’s consider the a average house with solar installation of 3kW which will produce

3*360(days)*4.5 (Units/day) = 4860 units/Year.

Total CO2 offset by 3kW system is (considering 1kWh = 1 unit = 1kg CO2)

4860*1kG = 4860 kg of CO2/Year

Now, let’s calculate how many trees are required to absorb that CO2 in one year.

4860/90.7 = 53.58 Trees.

53 trees is a big number as we can install 3kW system in the space occupied by just one tree and the solar panels use the waste area that’s not used. The Solar Rooftop system has huge benefits other than reducing CO2 emissions. Read our blog to know more benefits of solar rooftop system.

Hence cutting a branch of tree (not the complete tree) to reduce shadow on solar panels is the best way to go forward. Many of you may argue that tree has other benefits too, I do agree that but solar panels do work of 53 trees and occupy space of one tree and solar panels do have other benefits.

When we observe on the bases of CO2 offset, the Solar Energy system is a big win. We don’t suggest you to cut 50 trees to make space for solar but cutting down a part of tree will not harm as we are contributing 50 times more towards environment by going solar.