Global warming, national security, rolling blackouts, and depleting reserves of fossil fuels stimulate interest in solar power as a new energy source for America and the rest of the world. Improved technology, lower costs, and government rebates for solar panels all add appeal to this energy alternative every day. Unfortunately, solar power possesses some of the faults of current energy technologies. The possibility of solar energy providing all of the world's power needs includes its own set of drawbacks. However, several countries lead the revolution in solar technology and model to the rest of the world the tremendous potential of solar power. In addition, American businesses offer hope that the United States remains a key player in the quest for energy independence.
America's lack of interest in solar power stems mostly from the sheer cost of the technology, as well as the upfront investment for installation. Cheap production costs and government subsidies of energy from coal and oil keep the competing alternatives at bay, for now. Another obvious problem with solar power results from its dependability, or lack there of! We all know that clouds roll through even the sunniest of locales, decreasing the efficiency of solar panels. Speaking of efficiency, typical solar panels offer an efficiency of 12%, with higher-end models peaking at 20% (1). Estimates vary on the large amounts of raw land needed for solar arrays to provide the earth's power needs. Additionally, the extraction of the raw materials to make the panels for such an installation could disrupt the world economy and devastate an environment already on the brink. At a conservative estimate of 8% efficiency for the panels, the conductor wire alone for an installation to power the earth would require 91 million metric tons of copper (2). World copper production in 2006 offered up 15 million metric tons, which still fell behind demand worldwide (3). Obviously, the technology of solar panels requires more improvement before a large-scale transition to solar power would make sense. However, the recent advancements in panel design and the continuously dropping prices of photovoltaics make the possibility of our planet running on clean, solar energy more of a reality everyday.
Already in 2008, two international companies announced new designs in solar harvesting that more than double previous, average efficiencies. The Australian energy company, Green and Gold Energy, launched a world-wide campaign in February for their SunCube model, which operates at greater than 35% efficiency (4). In America, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Spectrolab, a subsidiary of Boeing, recently achieved the highest efficiency ever for a solar cell at 40.7% (5)! This type of efficiency allows for installations costing around $3 a watt, offers electricity at 8-10 cents per kilowatt hour, and makes solar energy quite competitive with fossil fuels (5). (Substituting the figure of 40% efficiency for the 8% used above, reduces the amount of copper needed for an installation to power the earth to 18.2 million metric tons.) The increased demand for solar power also helps bring the overall cost of panels and installations down. Sales of photovoltaics increased by 600% from 2000 to 2007 (6). Both federal and state rebates in America allow homeowners to invest in solar power and reduce their carbon footprint. Germany is even offering cash incentives to go solar and become less dependent on oil and gas (6)! All of this momentum makes solar more practical on a larger scale.
It is apparent that interest in solar energy is rising. There is enough solar energy hitting the earth in one minute to power the planet for a year(7). The vision of a solar-powered planet gains clarity everyday through rapid improvement in solar technology and the sales of increasingly cost-competitive, solar cells. As these developments continue, we must pressure governments into pursuing clean power, and not only solar. The U.S. government continues to subsidize petroleum-based energy and allows these companies to pollute the earth and destroy our land. The system needs change and the public has the power to make it happen. Although recent elections show differently, our votes do count, and voting with where you spend your dollars always gets tallied. We live in a day and age that requires sacrifice, at least a little, on the part of everyone on the planet. The generations to come, our children and our grandchildren, will remember us as the ones that either saved the planet or gave them a world they might rather not embrace. What's your choice?
Bibliography 1. Wikipedia. “Photovoltaic array.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_array. 2. “Solar Power.” Feb. 24, 2008. http://www.dirckthenoorman.com/?p=301#comment-787. 3. “Copper, gold, and silver markets.” Feb. 24. 2008. http://www.dailyfutures.com/metals/. 4. “About Green and Gold Energy.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au/ 5. “New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://www.energy.gov/news/4503.htm. 6. Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun. Prod. Steven Lantham. 2007. DVD. WGBH Educational Foundation. 7. “Solar Energy Market Overview.” Feb. 24, 2008. http://www.mmarenewableventures.com/Programs/Solar.html.
America's lack of interest in solar power stems mostly from the sheer cost of the technology, as well as the upfront investment for installation. Cheap production costs and government subsidies of energy from coal and oil keep the competing alternatives at bay, for now. Another obvious problem with solar power results from its dependability, or lack there of! We all know that clouds roll through even the sunniest of locales, decreasing the efficiency of solar panels. Speaking of efficiency, typical solar panels offer an efficiency of 12%, with higher-end models peaking at 20% (1). Estimates vary on the large amounts of raw land needed for solar arrays to provide the earth's power needs. Additionally, the extraction of the raw materials to make the panels for such an installation could disrupt the world economy and devastate an environment already on the brink. At a conservative estimate of 8% efficiency for the panels, the conductor wire alone for an installation to power the earth would require 91 million metric tons of copper (2). World copper production in 2006 offered up 15 million metric tons, which still fell behind demand worldwide (3). Obviously, the technology of solar panels requires more improvement before a large-scale transition to solar power would make sense. However, the recent advancements in panel design and the continuously dropping prices of photovoltaics make the possibility of our planet running on clean, solar energy more of a reality everyday.
Already in 2008, two international companies announced new designs in solar harvesting that more than double previous, average efficiencies. The Australian energy company, Green and Gold Energy, launched a world-wide campaign in February for their SunCube model, which operates at greater than 35% efficiency (4). In America, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that Spectrolab, a subsidiary of Boeing, recently achieved the highest efficiency ever for a solar cell at 40.7% (5)! This type of efficiency allows for installations costing around $3 a watt, offers electricity at 8-10 cents per kilowatt hour, and makes solar energy quite competitive with fossil fuels (5). (Substituting the figure of 40% efficiency for the 8% used above, reduces the amount of copper needed for an installation to power the earth to 18.2 million metric tons.) The increased demand for solar power also helps bring the overall cost of panels and installations down. Sales of photovoltaics increased by 600% from 2000 to 2007 (6). Both federal and state rebates in America allow homeowners to invest in solar power and reduce their carbon footprint. Germany is even offering cash incentives to go solar and become less dependent on oil and gas (6)! All of this momentum makes solar more practical on a larger scale.
It is apparent that interest in solar energy is rising. There is enough solar energy hitting the earth in one minute to power the planet for a year(7). The vision of a solar-powered planet gains clarity everyday through rapid improvement in solar technology and the sales of increasingly cost-competitive, solar cells. As these developments continue, we must pressure governments into pursuing clean power, and not only solar. The U.S. government continues to subsidize petroleum-based energy and allows these companies to pollute the earth and destroy our land. The system needs change and the public has the power to make it happen. Although recent elections show differently, our votes do count, and voting with where you spend your dollars always gets tallied. We live in a day and age that requires sacrifice, at least a little, on the part of everyone on the planet. The generations to come, our children and our grandchildren, will remember us as the ones that either saved the planet or gave them a world they might rather not embrace. What's your choice?
Bibliography 1. Wikipedia. “Photovoltaic array.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_array. 2. “Solar Power.” Feb. 24, 2008. http://www.dirckthenoorman.com/?p=301#comment-787. 3. “Copper, gold, and silver markets.” Feb. 24. 2008. http://www.dailyfutures.com/metals/. 4. “About Green and Gold Energy.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au/ 5. “New World Record Achieved in Solar Cell Technology.” Feb. 25, 2008. http://www.energy.gov/news/4503.htm. 6. Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun. Prod. Steven Lantham. 2007. DVD. WGBH Educational Foundation. 7. “Solar Energy Market Overview.” Feb. 24, 2008. http://www.mmarenewableventures.com/Programs/Solar.html.
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