News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

Solar energy is simply an incredible method for obtaining power. A single hour of solar energy landing on the earth is enough to power the entire planet’s population for a whole year. No doubt, we need to harness this energy that even Da Vinci predicted six hundred and fifty years ago would eventually be industrialized.
Solar energy is clean energy, very important to the environment when compared to fossil fuel usage.

The lack of solar power plants stretching across the nation is probably an indication of how expensive it is to build solar power facilities compared to other conventional power plants. Since this cost is excessive at this time, the cost would be passed on to the customer. There is hope since the technology is coming down in cost all the time.

To develop more solar power facilities a massive amount of real estate is required and the sun has to be pervasive. This is why at present, so many of these solar power plants are being built in the desert regions of nations around the world. The problem than becomes, why build power facilities where there is a minority of population. Once again, this form of development in out of the way locations means costs will increase due to the transmission cabling required to transport power. The regulatory procedures to do this will slow development and often environmental issues will halt it altogether.

Solar power plants only work at peak efficiency when the sun shines. This means there will be off hours where no direct sunlight will be captured. The storage of solar power is something that is desperately required in order for this method of power generation to reach its full potential.

One method of developing solar power that would work is to build smaller community only plants for those living within range of the facility. It would be cheaper and transmission costs would be greatly reduced. Other helpful measures would be to offer greater incentives to individuals and investors to commit to purchase and upgrade to solar power. People in general would opt for green solutions to power if they had some significant assistance to install solar generators in their home and commercial businesses. Unless a population has been living underground, they are aware of the shift to green power solutions and are motivated for the most part to helping where possible. 

Another benefit to solar power plant usage over conventional fuelled plants and even wind energy is that solar power is “bird friendly”. Wind turbines create turbulence that is harmful to birds and the blades are also an issue to bird populations. Fossil fuel usage is also harming the health of all living organisms as the pollution continues to blanket us with its destructive toxins. Human health issues abound because of it.

The US uses twenty five percent of all the planets energy yet only makes up five percent of the world population so the hunger for power is great. There are millions of people, perhaps billions, who don’t even have electricity at this time.

Shell Oil International has forecast that the world will run out of oil reserves within ten years. By the year 2040, fully half the energy requirements of the global population will be generating planet friendly renewable energy. Utilizing solar power plants to generate our future energy needs is something the world desperately requires. Our hope is an international drive toward renewable energy use on the scale unlike anything the industrialized world has yet to see.