Solar Power and Alternative Energy
Whether it is the large cost or a lack of environmental care, solar panels are rarely seen. Solar power, an accessible escape from a destructive carbon footprint, is seldom utilized. As defined, solar power is the conversion of sunlight to energy. This transformation occurs through two different processes: photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP). Both aid in sunlight’s progression into energy. Photovoltaics is a more direct approach to harnessing solar power as it changes light to electric current with the photoelectric effect. Concentrated solar power structures involve mirrors or lenses and tracking equipment in order to accumulate light most efficiently.
Recently, GlassPoint Solar Company based in Fremont, California, has implemented solar power in a California corporation in order to extract oil from an out-of-date oil field. This process reduces the company’s use of natural gas and is much more affordable. GlassPoint claims that the project in California “could quickly be replicated on a larger scale and could eventually displace 80 percent of the natural gas used to produce a barrel of oil” (New York Times). Extraction of oil is the number one use of natural gas in California. GlassPoint also unveiled a type of mirror that can create steam for electricity production.
This is just one example of the many benefits that solar power offers. Still, while many acknowledge that solar power is an ideal alternative to expending mass amounts of heating oil, natural gas, and electricity, they are rarely seen throughout American society. Even in my hometown of Berkeley, California, a liberal, environmental-friendly city, solar panels are hard to come by. Aforementioned, the cost of solar panels and installation are a turn-off for most consumers. In addition, many people in areas that don’t receive a great deal of sun are reluctant to invest in solar energy, although Germany, a world leader in solar energy generation, receives less sunlight than most locations in the United States. Although the cost is currently high, this is a process and entity that must be used more often in society.
Is advertising/publicity necessary to extend the solar power market? How can solar power be made more attractive to individual consumers? How can we, the United States, make solar power more affordable for Americans? (And what efforts are already in place? Are they working?) If you disagree with the effectiveness of solar power, why does its negatives outweigh its positives? Are other alternative energy sources a better option? If so, which ones and why?
Sources:
https://www.eco-wisdom.com/articles/solar-energy/solar-panels-save-money-help-the-environment.html
https://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/using-solar-power-to-extract-oil/?ref=earth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
https://www.rnp.org/node/solar-energy-technology
https://www.dsireusa.org/