Include your opinion and thoughts about solar power. do u think we should be using this source of energy?

Question

Include your opinion and thoughts about solar power. do u think we should be using this source of energy?

Answer 1

I don't think there is any real reason why we couldn't be using it on a small scale already if I'm honest. It's not the most efficient type of energy by any means, and is also not particularly cheap compared the alternatives. But it is completely renewable and causes no waste which is definetly a good thing in my eyes.

After the initial costs of the equipment and installation have been recovered it pretty much offers a free source of energy, which is not affected by the worldwide rising costs of fuel.

It can be a little unreliable in countries with few hours of sunlight, and the initial costs are usually fairly high due to the high costs of the conducting materials used in the construction, but other than this there are very few disadvantages of solar power.

So yeah why not?

Answer 2

Why shouldn't we?  

We do need to address a few issues first:

Price and environmental concerns about the batteries.  If we're going to rely on solar, we need a place to store the energy for peak periods or rainy days.   Up until recently most batteries had very toxic chemicals such as lead in them.   Batteries may only last 3-4 years.   If everyone went to electric cars and solar homes, we'd have massive amounts of very toxic batteries to haul away & recycle.   The weight of batteries also makes electric cars impractical.   We need to make better, safer, cheaper, and cleaner batteries.

We also need to change the economics behind solar.  Right now it's still experimental and costs quite a bit to install.  The average person just can't afford this.   Perhaps we'd need more grants or low-interest energy loans for homeowners?   Utility companies could install them but it would mean rates might go as high as double.   Americans are spoiled by the cheap cost of energy such as from coal.

Also consider there are some very large, powerful industries who don't want America to use renewable energy:  coal, oil, and other fossil fuel industries all depend on American consumers.    They have powerful lobbyists and friends in Washington DC.   The public would have to lobby hard against them and insist we have a better energy policy.

Answer 3

Absolutely!

Although the prices are still a little too high to compete with coal, as more and more municipalities and individuals buy solar panels and thin film solar, the prices are dropping. The price per watt is predicted to give coal a run for its money by 2010.

Solar is clean and uses the sun, which isn't going anywhere for a long time (unlike oil). It doesn't pollute after it has been manufactured and can last for over 30 years.