It’s impossible to imagine the Earth without the sun because it is such a huge source of energy for everything we do. If we take the time to learn a little about the possibilities of utilizing all that energy, it will enable us to make informed decisions about how best to use solar lights for our homes, offices and public buildings:
1. Some countries have far more solar power potential than they could ever use. If Australia for example harnessed all the solar energy that it received from the sun, it would amount to the equivalent of over 10,000 times more energy than the nation currently consumes. Even at the poorest conversion rate of 12 – 15%, it would still represent at least 1,200 times more energy than they need! This puts into perspective just how easy it is nowadays to make a few solar powered garden lights function in my part of America.
2. For every 1kw of convention electricity you can replace with solar energy you will prevent the burning of over 150lbs of coal which would have released almost 300lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If you replaced all the lighting in your home with solar powered lights, you could save this amount of pollution every other day depending on your usage. So think of solar power not only in terms of how much money you can save, but also how much you can help save the environment.
3. The world’s largest single solar energy plant is in the Mojave Desert in America. This one plant produces almost 90% of the world’s commercially produced solar energy, and has an area of almost 2 square miles of solar reflectors. This plant is still relatively ‘small scale’ if we compare it to what we could be doing, it is estimated the Sahara Desert in Africa could generate 35 times more energy from solar power than is needed by the entire world.
4. The uptake of solar energy is increasing world-wide. The production of solar cells for lighting and other household applications is estimated to be rising by up to 60% each year. The largest movement is being seen in Japan which now consumes over 50% of the world’s production of solar panels. And it is not just in warm climates where this type of power can be effective, even in rainy Britain, some new office blocks have been clad in solar panels to provide power.
5. As the rate of technology increase, the price of solar power accessories continues to tumble. It is estimated that components were dropping by around 3% per year until recently when they seemed to have bottomed out – and while prices were dropping, government support in the form of subsidies have continued to rise. Solar powered has never been more cost effective to install, and in some US states you can receive up to $10,000 in State and Federal grants towards installing a system for your home.
We should see solar energy as our future, fossil fuels are in limited supply and if we leave it too long to make the switch over we might get caught out. Even if you only convert your outdoor lighting over to things such as solar path lighting (probably the simplest form of installation), we will be doing a little bit to help tackle the world’s energy crisis.
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