solar energy paper
Final Draft
Solar Energy: Powering Our Future
Today nearly half of the world’s energy is provided by petroleum. What began as a cheap and abundant way to provide energy, has become expensive, environmentally harmful, and finite. With population explosions and the demands of modern lifestyles, the world’s need for energy production has become far too much for fossil fuels to keep up with. Experts say that the Earth’s stores of petroleum will be depleted by 2050. The need to find a viable source of energy within this generation’s lifetime that can power cars and provide electricity to homes. Some of the alternative energy sources include: wind energy, nuclear energy, and solar energy. Of the three, only solar is capable of producing enough energy to power the world. Solar energy producers fall into two separate categories: thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic panels. Thermal solar energy collectors are “a source of hot water that can be used for heating or for making steam to generate electricity” (Nersesian 2007). They are the simpler of the two types and much more inexpensive. They have many practical applications such as pool warmers and water heaters. Photovoltaic panels convert solar energy directly into electricity. They are large and the technology is still fairly expensive. Solar energy is a viable option to replace fossil fuels because it is the most financially viable long term, is a renewable resource that will not harm the environment, and each system can operate independently. Of all the different alternative energy options, solar energy producers will save a homeowner the most money long term. With several “states offer[ing] rebates that cover a good chunk of the cost of photovoltaic systems and solar thermal systems,” (Woodside 2006) they are now definitely within reach of middle class families. A family that would like to produce most of their own power for a moderately-sized home will need a
Solar Energy: Powering Our Future
Today nearly half of the world’s energy is provided by petroleum. What began as a cheap and abundant way to provide energy, has become expensive, environmentally harmful, and finite. With population explosions and the demands of modern lifestyles, the world’s need for energy production has become far too much for fossil fuels to keep up with. Experts say that the Earth’s stores of petroleum will be depleted by 2050. The need to find a viable source of energy within this generation’s lifetime that can power cars and provide electricity to homes. Some of the alternative energy sources include: wind energy, nuclear energy, and solar energy. Of the three, only solar is capable of producing enough energy to power the world. Solar energy producers fall into two separate categories: thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic panels. Thermal solar energy collectors are “a source of hot water that can be used for heating or for making steam to generate electricity” (Nersesian 2007). They are the simpler of the two types and much more inexpensive. They have many practical applications such as pool warmers and water heaters. Photovoltaic panels convert solar energy directly into electricity. They are large and the technology is still fairly expensive. Solar energy is a viable option to replace fossil fuels because it is the most financially viable long term, is a renewable resource that will not harm the environment, and each system can operate independently. Of all the different alternative energy options, solar energy producers will save a homeowner the most money long term. With several “states offer[ing] rebates that cover a good chunk of the cost of photovoltaic systems and solar thermal systems,” (Woodside 2006) they are now definitely within reach of middle class families. A family that would like to produce most of their own power for a moderately-sized home will need a
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