As we edge into summer and temperatures rise, I see more and more of the sun on my daily walks. In Texas it gets hot early. I have experienced a few 90-degree days already. My afternoon walks now start at 7 p.m., an hour before sundown. Because of my extended time exposed to the sun, I wondered if there were any health benefits.
According to M. Nathaniel Mead in his Environmental Health Perspectives article “Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health” from the U.S. National Institutes of Health National Biotechnology Center of Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, for the ancient Greeks and Romans, Apollo was the god of medicine and healing as well as of sun and light. Mead discusses the benefits of sunlight below:
Benefits of Sunlight
1. Boosts body’s vitamin D supply. For most white people, a half-hour in the summer sun in a bathing suit can initiate the release of 50,000 IU (1.25 mg) vitamin D into the circulation within 24 hours of exposure; this same amount of exposure yields 20,000–30,000 IU in tanned individuals and 8,000–10,000 IU in dark-skinned people.
2. Helps bones form properly. In August 2007, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research published Effectiveness and Safety of Vitamin D in Relation to Bone Health that found “fair evidence” of an association between circulating 25(OH)D concentrations and either increased bone-mineral density or reduced falls in older people, a result of strengthened muscles as well as strengthened bones.
3. Reduces the risk of tuberculosis. A meta-analysis published in the February 2008 International Journal of Epidemiology found that high vitamin D levels reduce the risk of active TB by 32%.
4. Lowers the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. A Swedish epidemiologic study published in the December 2006 issue of Diabetologia found that sufficient vitamin D status in early life was associated with a lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
5. Protects against hypertension and cancers of the prostate and colon. According to Rolfdieter Krause, who currently heads the Heliotherapy Research Group at the Medical University of Berlin, a serum 25(OH)D level of at least 40 ng/mL should be adequate to protect against hypertension and other forms of cardiovascular disease, as well as cancers of the prostate and colon.
6. May protect against rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, infectious diseases and multiple sclerosis. William Grant, who directs the Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, a research and education organization based in San Francisco, suspects that sun exposure and higher 25(OH)D levels may confer protection against other illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma, and infectious diseases. There is substantial though not definitive evidence that high levels of vitamin D either from diet or from UVR exposure may decrease the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
In addition to aiding our bodies, solar panels which absorb the sun’s rays can provide electricity for our homes and buildings. According to Wikipedia, the term solar panel is used colloquially for a photo-voltaic or PV module which is an assembly of photo-voltaic cells mounted in a framework for installation. Photo-voltaic cells use sunlight as a source of energy and generate direct current electricity. A collection of PV modules is called a PV panel, and a system of panels is an array. Arrays of a photovoltaic system supply solar electricity to electrical equipment. On my walks on the Brookhaven College campus, I see three solar arrays with the following description:
These three solar arrays are doing something amazing — generating pollution-free electricity from the sun! Donated by customers in the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club™, the 30 photovoltaic panels are estimated to produce more than 11,000 kwh a year over the array’s 30-year lifetime; saving Brookhaven College money each month on electricity costs which are put right back into our mission of affordable, quality higher education for the community.
Each year this 7.25-kilowatt array can avoid almost 13,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide emissions by not relying on the conventional production of fossil fuel-based electricity. That’s like:
· Not driving 14,000 miles a year based on average fuel economy of 21.4 mpg.
· Recycling 43,000 aluminum cans instead of sending them to the landfill.
How Solar Works:
1. The sun hits the solar panels and the panels convert the sun’s rays into electricity.
2. A control device changes this electricity, enabling it to power electrical items.
3. The electricity then passes from breaker boxes to outlets throughout the building.
4. Electrical items, such as the building’s computers and lights can then run on this pollution-free solar power!
Since 2002, the Green Mountain Energy™ Sun Club™ — the nonprofit arm of Green Mountain Energy Co. — has been empowering local communities with sustainability solutions. Through nonprofit partnerships and sustainability grants, it has delivered projects promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship. Its mission is to invest in nonprofits to advance sustainability for people and for the planet and its vision is to help all communities achieve long-term sustainability, with the quality of life and environmental resources necessary to thrive.
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