From Envirowiki

Interest in renewable resources has grown significantly in the past few years. Now it is not so much a question of whether or not to use alternative energy, but how much should be invested in deploying renewable energy, how much energy should be generated by alternatives, and which sources hold the most promise. As environmental concerns among the public are growing and the prices of its technologies are decreasing, solar power is emerging as one of the most viable options for generating clean, renewable energy.

Without question, there is an immediate need to replace current prevalent energy providers with alternatives. The majority of the United States' energy is powered by coal, oil, and nuclear energy. Coal and oil are fossil fuels which pose a number of problems to society and the environment. They are non-renewable resources, and are only located in certain areas. This creates a situation in which countries become dependent on others for these raw materials. Perhaps the most important concern dealing with fossil fuels is the amount of pollution that is released into the atmosphere once it is burned to generate energy. Not only is this pollution harmful to the publics’ health, but it is the primary cause of global warming. Continuing to burn fossil fuels at the current rate will undeniably contribute to global climate change. While the effects that people can expect to see as a result of global warming are varied, the fact that global warming exists is undisputed ^[1]. Unless a change in energy production takes place, there will be unprecedented social, political, economic, and environmental consequences as a result of unsustainable fossil fuel burning.

Of all the alternative energy systems, solar energy is the most feasible and readily adoptable. While hydroelectricity, wind power, geothermal, and biomass energy are all restricted due to limited availability, there is an large amount of sunlight to power solar efficient technologies (limited by the area of the earth in sunlight, and the intensity of energy radiating from the sun). There are a number of benefits that are unique to solar energy that make it the ideal source for renewable energy. Unlike the other alternative energy sources mentioned earlier, solar power can produce more than just electricity; the sun can also provide effective heating and light systems that do not depend on converting solar energy into electricity ^[2]. Another unique aspect of energy efficient solar designs is the vast area in which it can be used. Wind energy, for example, is limited to only a few locations because it depends on consistent strong winds. Solar power can be harvested anywhere there is sunlight, including very remote developments that cannot connect to power lines. Solar energy is on of the most reliable and adaptable renewable resource for the majority of the planet.

In addition to the obvious benefits of converting sun power into usable energy, solar designs actually help to reduce the amount of energy needed in a given infrastructure, as well as create more productive working atmospheres. To cut down on the amount of energy used towards electric lighting, specific designs for houses and other buildings can be created in order to maximize the amount of natural daylight used for lighting. This type of lighting has been linked to better attendance in the workplace, better academic performance, and increased productivity ^[2]. Studies have consistently shown that there are health benefits to being exposed to natural sunlight. Energy is also conserved with solar water heaters which use the sun’s heat to heat up water ^[2]. This process does not require any mechanical devices to produce useable hot water.

Solar power is incredibly unique because it does not require large factories and can be implemented house by house, building by building. In fact, a single house could install a few solar panels to replace some of its energy needs with solar power ^[3]. This type of system gives the public a considerable amount of power in the debate of whether to switch to renewable, clean resources. Each person (financially permitting) has the option to adopt energy efficient solar designs. This gives the public some ability to start changing when policy and alternative energy developments are not making any considerable progress. There is no need to wait for the construction of a wind farm or the discovery of a agreeable location for geothermal energy production – solar energy is readily available to anyone wishing to install it.

[edit] Sources

1. ↑ Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth. New York City: Rodale, 2006.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Manuel, John S. “Solar Flair.” Environmental Health Perspectives 111.2 (2003): 105-107.
3. ↑ Giddings, John. “Solar Changes Everything.” Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA. 23 February 2007.

• Adler, Jerry. “How to Design a Healthier Planet.” Newsweek 5 Mark 2007.
• Budinger, Thomas F., and Miriam D. Budinger. Ethics of Emerging Technologies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
• Underwood, Anne. “Project Green: This Ecofriendly House.” Newsweek 5 February 2007.