Hey! You! Yes, you! Do you like breathing? Yeah, me too. How about, the planet we live on, that gives us our lives? You like that? Yeah, me too. Well, I got news! The planet is becoming an oven because humans are extreme idiots. But we have a way to help it! First discovered in the 1800s, now commercially usable, it’s solar power!
Edmond Becquerel created the idea of solar power, but it took years and a man from across the world to create the first panel. Now, solar power is being used across the world, giving us the energy we need without the harmful effects of gas or coal.
Now how did it all start? Did Becquerel now the dangers of coal and want to put a stop to it centuries ago? Yeah, probably not. In fact, almost definitely not. According to History of Electric, “19-year-old physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovers that by shining a light on two different metals in contact with each other, electricity could be produced.” Note the word discovers here. It’s important to realize, Becquerel most likely didn’t care about creating sustainable energy. Whatever he DID mean to find, the idea of solar power matters way more here. And for the world.
But just how much does solar energy matter for the world? Well, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “At least 50 percent of the world's energy must come from renewables by 2050 if we are to meet the 1.5°C target.” This shows just how much we need solar energy. Of the various forms of renewable energy, solar is the only one you can actually put on your house, making it by far the most readily available form of energy, especially renewable energy. Furthermore, a study was done in Germany that found “Between 2006 and 2014, it funded energy efficiency retrofits or the construction of nearly 4 million German homes, cutting emissions by an estimated 700,000 tonnes.” This shows that renewables can truly make the world better and healthier.
All of this shows that solar energy, if used properly, could be the savior of our boiling Earth. If you need even more evidence, look at New Scientist, which states “Importantly, moving to renewables would eliminate nearly all emissions associated with global warming, helping us avoid reaching 1.5°C of warming this century, the Paris climate agreement's most ambitious goal for avoiding climate disaster.” This proves that solar power really does have an effect on the world, and a big one too. It’s time for the world to change to solar and leave dirty coal and wasteful oil behind. Solar is more accessible, safer, cleaner, and healthier. What more do you need? It to print money? Well, solar can do that too! (Kind of) You can save so much power from rooftop solar that the electric companies would have to start paying YOU! What more can you ask for here?
In conclusion, solar energy probably began by accident but has changed into something amazing, something the world needs. If you’re like me (and hopefully most people) and don’t want to die on a burning Earth, then it’s the time to switch to solar energy.
MLA CITATION:
Lawton, Graham. “Climate Hits.” New Scientist, vol. 241, no. 3218, Feb. 2019, pp. 40–43. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(19)30334-3.
The History of Solar Electric.” Countryside & Small Stock Journal, vol. 99, no. 3, May 2015, p. 44. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=108765369.
Myers, Alice. “Photovoltaic Cells.” Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2018. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=t6o&AN=89474825.
Jacobson, Mark. “An Achievable Dream.” New Scientist, vol. 235, no. 3142, Sept. 2017, pp. 26–27. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(17)31771-2.
HI! In your post you said "What more do you need? It to print money? Well, solar can do that too! (Kind of) You can save so much power from rooftop solar that the electric companies would have to start paying YOU!" Its great that money surplus can be earned, but nowhere in your blog are any measurable mentioned to gauge just how much impact this may have. So, how much are companies paying people per (unit) for this surplus.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on many factors, but the main three are a) how much sun you get in your yard/your roof, b) how much room there is to put panels, and c) how much electricity you use. so if you have a tiny house with room for maybe a dozen panels, but every light is constantly on and you're wasting power, you're not going to be making money from the electric company. But if you have a large house in an open field that only uses, say $100 of electricity per month. If you have your entire roof covered with panels, you could generate a considerable amount of money. If you want something a bit less arbitrary, my house uses $60 a month, but we have enough sunlight and area to generate $160 of electricity per month from solar.
DeleteIn your blog, you said, "You can save so much power from rooftop solar that the electric companies would have to start paying YOU!" Is rooftop solar the only option? What are other options for solar energy? Are there any other options for solar energy?
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot to say the least. One of the newer types of solar options is a circle of panels placed on a stand that will follow the sun throughout the day, generating more power than your average roof and only using a tiny bit on the back end. Of course, the price point for anything extra innovative is going to be higher, with these units running you for about $25,000. I mostly used rooftop solar as a topic because it's the form of solar people are going to know of better.
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