Is Solar Power Really The Answer?
There are many things in our future which we cannot predict, but when it comes to fossil fuels, there are some unavoidable facts.
Fossil fuels will run out, there is no way that the planet can replenish the fuels at the level that we are using them. So we need to find other means to supply our energy requirements.
When this was originally addressed there was a hunt, globally, to find alternative fuels. The most successful of these has proved to be nuclear power. When looking at the global energy situation there is no way you can skim over nuclear power. Nuclear power has been a life saver for many people. The largest producer of nuclear energy is the United States, 19% of their electricity is supplied via nuclear power. At the moment it is the most likely replacement for our fossil fuels. This is not because it is the best option – it is because it is being used on a large scale and has proved that it can work.
However, there are obvious drawbacks to nuclear energy. We all know about Chernobyl and now the Fukushima problems, but nuclear has been controversial since its inception, and this was a long time before either of these events.
The problem with nuclear power is that it is an alternative power and not a renewable power. In the long term our best option has got to be renewable power. If you are unfamiliar with the terminology let me clarify. The ‘alternative’ label applies to anything which is not based on fossil fuels; the renewable category means that nature replenishes the supplies.
So in a perfect world we would only use renewable energy sources. However, we are not currently in a position to replace our fossil fuels with renewables for industry.
This is where we have to find a balance. If the domestic market can be met with renewables, then over time a transition can be made away from nuclear and fossil fuels. Solar electricity has developed hugely recently. The development of the thin film solar panels means that it is now possible for us all to do our bit – for the first time in history. We can actually fit a solar generator to our homes and start to power our own homes. There are two types of solar power, one is using the photovoltaic panels which store energy in a battery and the other is solar thermal heat – which is best used for water heaters, pool heaters, and the like.
The great thing about solar power is that it has been developed with the domestic market in mind; so it is out there waiting for us to use it.
The other great renewable power is wind power. We have all seen wind farms, they are amazingly impressive, suddenly you wonder why we haven’t been doing this more. Well, we are doing it more and more, but we are a long way from being able to power our homes using wind power. So this is great – but it is not yet ready to roll out across our neighbourhood.
The answer for us to be able to heat our homes, without the constant worry about fuel prices, and to be able to do our bit for the planet has got to mean moving to solar power. It may seem like a giant step – but actually it is about millions of us taking just a very small step.
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March 21, 2011 by alex Filed under 
Solar PowerTags: renewable energy, solar electricity, Solar Power, windpower