subject: Renewable Energy And It's Future [print this page] How much oil do we have left? While many big business executives in the oil industry try to maintain their positive positions, others are not so sure.
Can we know for sure? While the answer is certainly debatable, scientists and modern day inventors have been working feverishly to come up with alternatives if such a situation should occur.
Solar and wind energy technology is swiftly becoming more advanced by the minute.
The sun is the most powerful source of energy in our solar system without question. For hundreds of years scientists have tried to harness a fraction of this life sustaining resource.
Modern solar technology dates back into the 1830s when Antoine-Cesar Becquerel, a French physicist, made a startling discovery. He found that electricity could be produced by shining a light on an electrode that had been placed in a conductive solution. Another giant step forward happened in 1941 when an American, Russell Ohl, designed what we commonly refer to today as the silicon solar cell. Those early developments proved to be expensive, but with the advent of the "oil crisis" in the 1970s, more people started thinking about using solar energy as a means of energy supply.
Although we are in the early stages of development, more is being accomplished each day as major corporations are joining the wave of renewable energy. Many national leaders from around the globe are meeting regularly with the earth's solar future in mind.
The impact that television is having on the solar and wind industry is nothing short of phenomenal. Giant solar panels and wind turbines are used constantly as backdrops for commercials. Practically everywhere you look now days you can see ads for "going green" which cause us to think of a cleaner, more earth-friendly future. Many of the world's most well known corporations are rushing to secure their position in this changing market.
Many large companies have mergered with smaller ones and are specializing in the production of solar and wind turbine components. For example, the GE corporation bought a company called ScanWind and together they have created jobs for thousands of people in the solar energy industry by building giant wind farms off-shore. Investor confidence is increased as a direct result.
Automotive companies are building electrically operated hybrid vehicles ranging from small cars to large SUVs and light duty trucks with the goal of providing alternatives to traditional methods of power. The Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Corporation, John W. Mendel, may have answered our question when he made this statement: No one can tell us when well run out of oil, but we will. Everyone will tell you we will.
Life as we know it is changing. The solar energy future is now. The dangers of underground mining and off-shore drilling are undeniable. The cost of upgrading equipment to attempt to secure a level of safety only increases the cost of the end product. It is only a matter of time before our traditional means of energy supply is replaced by more modern ones. Renewable solar and wind energy has opened the door and is taking it's rightful spot, just as the internal combustion engine replaced the horse and buggy.
