Using The Sun For Solar Energy

April 2010 has renewed the American populations interest in alternative fuel sources such as solar energy

. No longer are the reasons for getting off fossil fuels in far away war zones or some unintelligible world market, now its staring us all in the face. This time, there is nothing we can do to ignore it, we must take action to renew and carry the interest in alternative energy into the future.

Our sun offers an almost infinite source of energy. Each minute that passes the sun sends enough energy to Earth to provide an entire year supply of world energy. In the length of a day, we receive enough energy to power the world for 27 years. We must support and invest in this technology if it is to improve to a level where we can completely shy away from fossil fuels.

Of course, at present, there are still some roadblocks to capturing that energy and actually converting it to electricity. These bumps in the road are presented in both technological limitations and bureaucratic red tape.

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are one way to capture the suns energy. Since their introduction in the late nineteenth century, advancements have improved efficiency from 4% to around 15% today. The utilization of nanotechnology has greatly improved to overall capacity of pv cells. Investing more capital could help to provide the incentive needed to make vast improvements in the field or alternative energy.

Many company buildings are embracing alternative energy as a source of heat. Sunlit floors and walls employ the use of passive solar energy with materials that warm up and store heat during the day, releasing it at night when it is most needed. Sun spaces and trombe walls are also built as part of buildings to convert solar energy.

Many cities are looking to alternative energy to power downtown office buildings as well. New designs employ the use of passive solar energy with materials that can absorb and store heat in sunlit floors and walls. During the day, heat is slowly built up, to be released at night, when it is needed most. Some of these options include are sun spaces and trombe walls.

Many school districts are also looking for alternatives to power supplies. Rooftop solar panels are being installed across the country in an effort to slowly wean ourselves from the use of fossil fuels.

Using solar energy is a clean alternative to fossil fuels and offers a free and widely available source of energy. As both technology and interest grows, there will be more advances in this area of alternative energy, and more job opportunities associated with the green energy sector. It may provide significant relief from the current economic situation if properly executed.

Today, less than 1% of the United States total energy consumption is powered by solar energy. California leads the country currently in alternative energy production, but many states are looking to follow suit. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn currently has legislation on her desk that will set annual targets for power companies to transition to alternative energy. If the bill is signed, by 2015, at least 6% of the electricity produced in the state will have to come from solar energy.

The responsibility of diverging from fossil fuels lies in the hands of voters and consumers. The public must make the choose to be more environmentally aware and to invest in alternative energy sources. The only way to avoid another ecological disaster like the Deep water Horizon debacle is to reevaluate our priorities and embrace alternative technology.

by: Richard Ransome.

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