Have you ever considered what will happen to our society when the world’s reserves of oil and coal run out? Where will we get our energy from and more importantly will it be clean and beneficial to the world? What if a new reliable source of energy was developed so that our dependency on foreign oil was reduced and we could remove our troops from the Middle East. Thus this new energy source makes our country capable of sustaining itself while simultaneously helping global relations. Residents of Colorado love how crisp and fresh the air is in this Rocky Mountain dominated state. In CO, where being outdoors is a huge component in daily life the quality of the environment is crucial and having a cheap clean energy source is a must. To be able to sustain this beautiful area a new sustainable and clean energy source needs to be developed not only for CO but, for the world. The energy source we are looking for is solar energy and now more than ever it needs the backing of the general population for the advancement of its potential.
You see all these commercials on TV now a days pushing for the advancement of hydro and wind energy to combat global warming and solve our energy dilemmas. However, these types of energy are expensive and do not produce a substantial amount of energy for their cost. In a recent report written by Brian Westenhaus concerning the cost of alternate sources of energy he says that wind energy is 65% more expensive than hydro and hydro energy is 50% more expensive then the next alternative source. Westenhaus further enforces the point that wind and hydro power are expensive by talking with the president, Kenneth Eriksson, of the SKGS group, an energy company that deals with alternative types of energies. Eriksson is quoted as saying “that wind power, with current electricity prices, is dependent on very large subsidies to become a competitive alternative, and it is virtually impossible to build new hydropower because of existing environmental laws and local opinion”. These sources are a few of many that support through numerical evidence that hydro and wind energy are not reliable cost effective sources of energy. I guess that goes to show that not everything you see on TV is true. However, one such commercial for SAIC asks it viewers what kind of world would we live in if we could harness the power of the sun and use it in the dead of winter. This commercial reveals the true king of the future energy source, solar power.
We need to invest our money and time into the further development of solar energy. As far as anyone can tell the sun will be burning for a long time to come thus giving us a near limitless source of energy that overshadows anything that hydro or wind energy could possibly conceive of producing. In 2006 Oliver Morton, the chief news and features editor for “Nature” a scientific journal, writes that, “The Sun provides Earth with as much energy every hour as human civilization uses every year. If you are a solar-energy enthusiast, that says it all”. To take Morton’s claim a step further let’s consider some actual numbers of the amount of energy the sun produces. Then let’s apply these numbers in terms of powering an average American household. The sun produces about 3.6 x 10^26 joules/ second but, not all of this energy reaches earth. Every square meter of earth that faces the sun receives 1380 joules/ second and this translates to 1380 watts. Energy consumption for a household is measured in kilowatt hours and one kilowatt hour equals 1000 watt hours which equals 3.6 mega joules or 3.6 million joules. The average house in America consumes 12,000 kilowatt hours a year and is roughly 457 square meters. To run a house this size for a year 4.32 x 10^10 joules of energy are required. Assume we are able to harness the energy from the sun reaching earth to its fullest potential, so a house this size would receive 630,660 joules/second from the sun due to its size. This means in about 19 hours of sunlight this household will receive enough energy from the sun to run for an entire year. With over 300 days of sun a year in CO if this type of energy utilization was possible a single house would receive about 380 year’s worth of energy in a single year of sunshine. This is not science fiction at all, but quite fesible with enoough support research into solar energy. Imagine being able to be completely self-sufficient in energy and not having to rely on foreign oil reserves.
One pressing issue for Coloradans however, is the current subsidy cutbacks that Xcel energy has just implemented on the solar industry. In a Denver Post article on February 2nd, 2011 execs of Xcel Energy said that they were “cutting financial incentives that it offers to customers for solar-energy installations”. The causation of these cutbacks are due to the cost of solar energy declining for customers and that the execs of Xcel don’t think people need these high incentives to install solar panels. These subsidiary cut backs will affect future investments into solar energy, jobs, and the cost of installing solar systems. These cut backs will raise the average cost of installing residential solar units that currently cost $5,000-$12,000 to $8,000-$16,000. In this current economic crisis and an increase of this magnitude financially will make solar units available for a more select group of people more so for the upper to middle class people. These costs will also show a large percent of people turn away from using solar energy due to their inability to pay the premium.
This is where we as citizens concerned with the overall well-being of our state can take action. We cannot allow solar energy to be pushed to the backburner of our countries spending, it should be on the forefront of advancement to create a more sustainable world. The president of Xcel Colorado David Eves is quoted as saying, “We look forward to the industry’s continued progress so that it can ultimately become self-supporting. Just as wind energy is now more competitive, solar energy is moving in that direction too”. How can the solar industry continue to grow if its funding is being cut? Unlike wind energy where it is not always windy, you can count on the sun to rise every day, so why cut costs to a future energy source that will be consistent and dependable? In a state where we get over 300 days of sun a year we are a primetime state to become a heavily solar dependent state and be on the forefront of self-sustained economies in terms of energy. The solar industry has come a long way in the recent years and will continue to grow however, it still needs major financial backing and support to make greater leaps in technology.
Solar energy has many benefits that make it more appealing over oil. To begin with it is renewable and near endless, whereas oil takes millions of years to replicate and if we use it all its gone. Also there is no burning of fossil fuels so there is no emission of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere which is one of the leading causes of global warming. In a state with very few to no natural oil deposits solar energy becomes much more accessible in Colorado and an extremely environmental friendly option. With the conversion of a average Colorado household to solar power it will keep 22,000 pounds of carbon emissions from being emitted annually. With oil prices rising becoming less dependent on oil for energy will save our state millions of dollars and the country billions of dollars. This would quickly take us out of our current debt and allow us to invest this money into the advancement of medicine, technology, education, and the overall betterment of our race.
Solar energy not only presents itself as the best alternative source of energy but, the most reliable and clean. Currently we can only store solar energy by having it heat water up and then using this heat for as long as it lasts, which is not a very long time. Once we are able to store solar energy for extended periods of time and make it available at the drop of a hat then a quick transition to solar energy as a major power source will be seen. As Coloradans we are in a position due to the type of weather our state experiences to be at the forefront of the solar era. We can be the pioneers of a new world that is environmentally sound and removes global conflict over natural resources such as coal and oil which are essential to powering an economy. With this in mind it is necessary for Coloradans to support solar energy as our way to keep our state clean and an environmental example to the rest of the country and the world.
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