Many of us simply think of solar power as a small supplement to our planet's power production. In truth, this is how it is used now. The sun easily hits the earth with more than enough energy each day to supply all of our current power consumption for years. Obviously, we can't possibly harness every bit of the solar energy hitting the earth, but with enough well constructed solar energy plants, we could provide for all of society's power needs. It is just about educating people about the benefits of using more solar energy and being willing to pay the initial costs of getting this type of energy to protect the future of the planet and our current way of life. Currently, the installation and use of solar power collectors is increasing at a rate of about 25% annually.
Solar cells are pretty effective receptors of solar energy. Most solar cells are able to capture between 8% and 15% of the energy from the sun that strikes them directly. While the efficiency of solar cells may sound low, there is so much energy coming from the sun that this can add up to a lot of energy on a sunny day.
With so much energy out there that does so much less damage to the environment than burning fossil fuels, why don't we just build and deploy more solar cells? It all comes down to money. On average, Americans use about 1,000 kilowatts monthly. For a home solar electric system to supply sufficient energy for this usage, without brownout, it can take an investment of at least $10,000.
A quality system will come with about a five-year warranty and shouldn't have to be completely replaced after this period, so it should come out to a cost of no more than $2,000 annually, or $167 monthly, to meet your electricity needs. This is really about the same cost most people pay now, except that you get clean energy production and insurance against rising energy and electricity costs. The reason most people don't do this is that you have to lay out a lot of money up front and it takes several years before the system pays for itself.
The Global Solar Energy Usage Trends
From 1985 to 2006 in the United States, the amount of solar energy added to the power grid went from 21 megawatts to 1,744 megawatts. This is a good trend in energy production, but it is far from growing at a rate to make it the major source of energy in the United States.
The United States is not alone in trying to use more solar energy. Japan and Germany provide low-cost loans to those who want to install solar energy receptors for their homes. Like many places in the United States, they also have begun allowing these homeowners to get paid by the power companies if the homeowners solar energy systems produce excess electricity to send back to the power companies. This motivates people to go ahead and spend the money up front because they will get their investment returned to them much more quickly. As a result, the power grid loads are being stabilized and the environment is suffering less negative electricity production consequences.
