The current electricity supply from around the world is generated by fuel created by oil, natural gas and the ever so popular coal. This fuel also known as fossil fuels, are being frowned upon for causing the bad air quality in many industrialized countries. A challenge is to switch to energy source that is renewable and that can be depended on. The fear of bad air quality and the news of climate change from scientist have created big debates from many different government bodies.
Some important renewable energy that we need to look into is solar energy. They are others such as biomass, wind power, hydroelectricity and geothermal. Renewable energy is obviously infinite unlike fossil fuel where it gets expensive to extract especially when it becomes scarce.
Solar energy is a key to our future as progress has been productive especially in the last 10 years. And best of all, solar energy is fueled by the power of the sun which is unlimited. Apparently solar panels can only absorb around 10 to 20% of the sun-rays. Many experiments and studies are leading towards another 20% absorption rate.
The advantage of using the sun as our source of energy is that it does not harm the planet. The process of converting the sunlight to a source of energy is very safe. In some parts of the world, the sun is strongest during certain times of the day (high noon) and certain season (summer). Many countries that have large deserts are great candidate for solar farms such as Saudi Arabia whom are currently taking a large initiative in several solar projects.
Furthermore, many homes and small businesses are able to afford solar panels because it is cheaper compare to past years, and governments have created incentives and tax breaks. This has helped increase the popularity of using a solar system especially it is very cost effective and the fact we are more environmentally conscious.
What is interesting is in the United States only 1% of all electricity used in the grid comes from solar energy. It is very small right now but they are many solar projects across the country such as in states like Utah and California who are leading the way. Another state that is very keen and in the top 10 states that use solar systems is Massachusetts. Many people are shocked about this since Massachusetts is not a sunny state. The reason it is so efficient is the state government provides tax credits and special loans on households that uses solar energy.
Nowadays in the United States, solar panels can be installed on a household rooftop for around $15,000. From the help of the government they may get tax credits and the household also has the ability to rent out any extra electricity to the grid. In about 10 years the installed solar panels will pay itself and the best part there is “no footprint”. Hopefully many more households will take this path and realize the potential of the cost-saving impact that solar energy has. In a way it is a must and in a few years instead of 1%, 5% will be the new percentage of Americans using the Sun as their source of electricity.