|
Every hour the sun beams onto Earth more
than enough energy to satisfy global energy needs for
an entire year.
Solar energy use
has surged at about 20 percent a year over the past 15 years, thanks to
rapidly
falling prices and gains in efficiency. Japan, Germany, and the United States are major
markets
for solar cells. With tax incentives, solar electricity can often pay for itself in five to ten years.
Nationalgeographic.com
I have been studying our energy
options for more than 30 years, and I am absolutely convinced
that our
best and easiest option is solar energy, which is virtually
inexhaustible. Most
importantly,
if we choose solar we don’t have to wait for a new technology to save us. We already have the
technology
and energy resources we need to build a sustainable, solar-electric economy that can
cure our addiction to oil,
stabilize the climate and maintain our standard of living, all at the same
time. It is well past time to start
seriously harnessing solar energy.
Steve Heckeroth is
chair of the American Solar Energy Society’s Renewable Fuels and
Transportation
Division, and has spent the last seven years as director of building-integrated photovoltaic
products for the
largest flexible thin-film PV manufacturer in the world.
You can use solar energy to do the following:
- Heat your home through passive solar design or an active solar heating
system
- Generate your own electricity
- Heat water in your home or swimming pool
- Light your home both indoors and outdoors
US DEPT of ENERGY |
