Solar Energy It is Popular. So Why is it Not Yet Widely Used?

The fact is, the 350,000,000 terawatts of power available from the sun is so large that an exposure to a full sun in only 15 minutes will be sufficient to generate the world’s energy requirement

Compare that with power that is generated by nuclear and fossil fuel. Presently, the obtainable data for fossil and nuclear fuel is 10,800,000 terawatts which we all be aware of to be non renewable.

To produce electricity, utility companies burn fossil fuels that translate to 1.3 pounds of carbon dioxide to produce 1kw of electrical power. This unwanted CO2 emissions are dumped into the atmosphere. This then translates into each typical home being accountable yearly for 22,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

The harnessing of the sun’s rays is clean and safe. It produces no emissions and it is practical and might in the years ahead, prove very economical. Within the United States, only 0.1% of energy that’s generated is solar energy driven. So what are the obstacles?

According to the Wall Street Journal (in an article that was released in its August 2008 issue), you will find groups, backed by political groups that are lobbying against the putting up of transmission lines for pv power. The construction of distribution lines for solar energy is also becoming blocked by environmental activists that restrict the delivering of solar energy to those who want it in their houses.

An additional obstacle is that the power grid within the United States which was designed more than 100 years ago is now so congested in many regions. To deliver the solar power to consumers, scientists and engineers will need to come out with an additional price efficient plan to transfer huge amounts of power from one location to an additional.

Solar panels are considered expensive. Although a house increases its value by folds when solar powered, the costs still might be prohibitive to most that unless the non silicon flexible solar panels that are now becoming developed are released for market consumption, powering homes through solar energy could still be very limited.

Other forms of rewards to avoid fossil fuel use should still be effectively placed. The 30% tax cut to projected price previously awarded is going to be a lot more attractive if other federal credits are included to encourage further investments.

The global warming issue that has been brought to the papers is really a recurrent subject of talk shows and remains to be a great news item. Also, the too unstable pump prices, should and for most part, already be a great incentive to use this alternative source of energy.

However, effective solar energy transmission to homes will stay to become very hard unless these obstacles are breached. Assuming that these obstacles are solved these days, it will still take some years to convert 20% of American homes into solar energy users. Meanwhile, solar panels on individual homes remain to become the most viable option.

The great part to solar energy quest is that technology is advancing very rapidly. Nano technologies for solar power is being produced and might be available in five many years time. Other breakthroughs in cell designs are also being developed that could, in the next few years, be a cost-effective way of generating energy without having to rely anymore on fossil and nuclear power.

Lastly, you got to check out the Energy Saving method that save the earth and my bill too. I didn’t know that I can make my own solar panel that only costs me less than one thousand dollar.