Advantages of Solar Energy

As societies throughout the world constantly increase requirements for electrical power, it becomes harder and harder to keep up with the demand using resources based on fossil fuels and coal.  The faster we use up the Earth’s limited deposits of these resources, the closer we get to the day when those deposits are simply depleted and we will no longer be able to meet the world power demands.

For almost 200 years, solar energy has been touted as alternative energy source to supplement (and eventually replace) today’s fuel-based energy infrastructure.  Until recently however, solar power has not achieved the levels of efficiency required to be.

Solar energy uses the power of the sun to provide energy and electricity.  Unlike fossil fuels and coal, there is an unlimited supply of solar power as long as the Sun continues to produce solar radiation (and if doesn’t, than electrical energy will be the least of our concerns).  In addition to being limitless, other advantages of solar energy include the fact that it’s free (once the equipment is installed) and very friendly to the environment.

The sun provides the energy for practically all life on earth and keeps our planet warm enough for all this life to exist.  Most places on Earth get a fair amount of sunlight, so solar energy is abundant and widely available.  According to one scientist, it would take over 30 years for the six billion people who live on earth to use up all the solar energy the sun produces in a single day.  Unfortunetly, even with all this available power just waiting to be harnessed, as of 2008, less than 0.05% of the United States’ electricity comes from solar generating stations.

Another advantage of solar energy is that it’s very friendly to the environment. Burning fossil fuels and coal causes smog, acid rain and some say is responsible for the global warming of the planet.  It’s clear to most scientists and governments around the world that, if we are to stop or even reverse some of this damage, we need to cut down on the amount of fossil fuels we use.  Solar power seems the ideal replacement to provide for our future energy needs.

In Al Gore’s controversial documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”, we witness some of damage the burning of fossil fuels has supposedly caused to the environment.  Whether you agree with it or not, it’s hard to ignore the real signs of damage caused by burning fossil fuels and coal.

Another one of the advantages of solar energy is the relatively low costs involved. Sunlight is free.  Once you install a solar energy system, you will not have to pay for electricity ever again.  Although there are costs associated with initial setting up of a solar energy system, you will actually be save a lot of money in the long run.  As solar energy technologies improve and more and more state and local governments offer incentives for using solar energy, these initial costs keep decreasing every year.

One of the most publicized incentive programs is the Energy Policy Act 2005, where you can receive a tax credit if you use clean energy to power your household. The act provides tax credits aimed at reducing the cost of building solar power plants.  As a result the solar industry is going through a big growth spurt as the number of solar energy plants being built increases every year.

Many people don’t realize the damage that continual burning of fossil fuels and coal is doing to the health of plants, animals and human beings throughout the planet, even in places where the amount of energy produced is minimal.  By cutting down on the amount of fossil fuels burned and using energy alternatives such as solar energy, this damage may be reduced.  Like human, plants, animals and the planet as a whole have amazing regenerative powers to heal themselves once the causes of the damage are removed.  Just look at a smoker’s lungs 15 years after quitting – they look like he’d never smoked.

You many have noticed that over the number of people developing diseases and cancer has increased ten-fold over the past 20 years – a lot of this can be attributed (by some) to the burning of fossil fuels releasing sulphur dioxide into the air.

As you can see, there are many advantages of solar energy: Unlimited supply of “fuel”, relatively low cost and very friendly to the environment and thus people who live in it.  Most people expect solar power to become more widely used as these advantages are recognized and accepted.