Solar power is the ability to derive energy from the sun via solar panels which convert the suns rays into electricity. Solar power is one of the reusable or "clean" energies available for use, others include hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass. It allows society to harness energy with little to no impact on the environment, unlike other methods such as coal or fossil fuels which sap up the earth’s natural resources and seriously harm the habitat in which the resource is found. People are finding that using solar power not only benefits the environment, but it also has other benefits. People who live in sun rich areas, like Arizona, have found that by switching their main energy source from PG&E or their local standard energy provider, to solar power, their utility bills have reduced immensely. Although the cost of installing solar panels is expensive, it is an investment that will eventually pay itself off. With this said however, those who live in the northern areas of the United States, which receive less of a return with the use of solar power than those who live in the sunnier southern U.S, due to less sun exposure.
Solar power is a relatively new technology that continues to grow and in which new developments are still being made. This progress will hopefully allow society to shed its reliance on fossil fuels and expand the strength and availability of solar power.
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Solar power is a good source of energy, but it is definitely not the most efficient form of renewable energy. It is also extremely expensive and in order to install solar panels in your home, it is a personal cost, not simply paying a power company a little more for providing energy from renewable energy sources. I think you should definitely look more into the other renewable sources, like the ones you briefly mentioned in this post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above-solar power is a good alternative, but is very costly. A form of renewable energy that I find interesting is wind energy. For those who do not have much sun where they live, this could be a great alternative. Also, engineers are finding ways to make more efficient use of energy. For example, winglet technology added onto windmills and airplane wings at certain lengths and toe angles maximize the lift force to drag force (opposing) ratio, thus increasing efficiency. Of course it takes time and money to do this kind of research, but it seems worth it in the long run!
ReplyDeleteHowdy,
ReplyDeleteAs a vegetarian and hopefully, more ecologically conscious individual than the average citizen, I definitely look to renewable energy sources for their value not in just this lifetime, but the next 10, 20 even thousand generations. Clearly, relying on fossil fuels is not the long-term answer so why shouldn't our society wean ourselves off the short-term solution proactively?
If we're going to have to be sustainable and find cleaner energy, why not do it now and phase it in all across the board?
I would definitely love to see quotes and information on how we as consumers today can outfit out homes with cleaner sources of energy. Despite the high cost of solar power as Jesslyn points out in the 1st comment, I think it's still valuable as an investment. I would love to see quotes on such a project for a median 3/2 house as I would present it to my family for earnest consideration.
Most obliged,
-Warren Wong