Whatever happened to Solar energy?

Question

And why isn't it used often today? This will help solve the energy crisis.

Answer 1

(-: It's still happening! But like they said up there, it isn't cheaper than the other alternatives . . . yet. That's for electricity produced by solar.

Many smart architects use passive solar techniques in their designs -- big south windows that catch the sun in the winter, but have nice awnings to block it in the summer, for example. More people should look up passive solar when they are building a house!

Solar power is getting cheaper and better though. You can buy solar garden lights now that are pretty reasonable, and have a nice glow in your garden for "free".

Answer 2

Solar power isint as wonderfull as it seems there are a few problems with it... you have to understand how it works to see its flaws... solar power only really takes heat energy from the sun or infra-red radiation... if we could learn to harness more then just heat from the sun we would be better off... visible light as well as ultra violet would increase its power yield... for the time being its best to combine green power... like wind/solar combinations but again as others have said solar power is not cheap... I think wind power... geo thermal and hydro electric are probably going to make more of an impact sooner than solar...

Answer 3

currently it costs about 20 us cents per kilo watt hour. this is double the cost for coal. so because of free market forces solar can not compete with coal.

Answer 4

The reason solar energy has pretty much stopped is the cost & it is very expensive, and the tax credit for homers to install solar panels on their has long expired. Home owners used to be able to receive up $ 10,000 dollar tax credit from the government, the tax credit expired in 1985. The president who offered this tax credit while in office was Jimmy Carter. When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, he let the credit expire and was not extended.

Answer 5

Solar energy is utilized in nature but what you refer to is  power , electricity, or heat generated through solar cells i.e. conversion of sunlight into electricity and direct heating by concentrating sunlight and therby heat a medium that can then be utilized as a heat source. Solar photovoltaic provide 0.04% of the world's energy usage. Total peak power of installed PV is around 6,000 MW as of the end of 2006. It is projected to reach more than 9,000 MW by the end of 2007. The cost of PV is the  main limiting factor. It is currently about $15 per  watt and is therefore not competitive to conventional sources of energy, added to that is the fact that other sources are needed to compensate for night period, batteries are used which further add to cost and  also production of photo voltaic cells are not entirely environmentally friendly ..Photo voltaic cells are , however , used for some applications like rural areas away form the grid , cathodic protection of pipelines and power for off-shore oil rigs, railroad crossings and lighthouses

Answer 6

It's very expensive to install. It will save you in the long run but most run of the mill middle class familys can't afford the upfront costs.

Answer 7

I see what you mean. Solar energy could be used as an alternative energy source, but government don't want to spend money at installing those plates for gathering solar energy.

Answer 8

I develop nearly all of my power with solar panels and a wind generator. Basically the only need I have from the grid is for the computer as it is a bit thirsty. One more solar panel would solve that issue. (But I cheat some times and use a friends laundry machine if I am to busy to do it by hand.)   It is amazing how frugal you become when you are responsible for your own power.

   Solar panels are used around us in applications that we don't always notice, for example channel markers (the flashing lights that guide in boats and ships) often have a solar panel. Also there are many remote houses that rely on solar, but of course they are remote so you dont see them.

The edit.

  ha ha ha how can I possibly get a 'thumbs down' for this??  did I make a typo or a spelling mistake??

Anyway, I really liked the comments about the passive solar. I was in Germany about 2 winters ago, and had been sitting in a newly built house wearing only a long sleeved shirt. I went outside briefly and almost died it was so cold. After I came back in I took my jumper off and went and stood by the radiator to get warm. I put my hand on the radiator and my friends could not stop laughing, it was cold and had not been turned on since the end of the previous winter. They had the most amazing insulation, glazing, and passive solar I have ever come across. Sure, it may be expensive today but as the cost of fuels increase it will get cheaper and cheaper by comparison.  I actually think we can not afford to do anything else but spend more on solar and wind generators, insulate houses and just make an effort.

Answer 9

It was squashed by the oil tycoons.

Answer 10

Solar stocks are booming right now and solar products are showing up in more stores.   This will bring the cost down and make it more accessible to more people.

Oil reached $100 per barrel the first week of 2008.  This  may be the year that solar goes mainstream.

Answer 11

There are a few problems that some people have with solar energy.

1 ) Cost is still fairly high for any type of major installation and unless you are planning on staying somewhere for a very extended period of time it just isn't cost effective.

2 ) The sun is not up 24 hours day, I am sure if this was the case a lot more people would be turning to it though.

3 ) The conversion rate isn't high enough to really interest major home builders yet, but with time this will be fixed.

One good thing though is the longer people are working on and with the technology as with anything else it improves and gets cheaper as it is finally adopted by the masses.

I personally am hoping to put a solar system on the roof of my house to offset high power costs in my region, especially in summer when the sun is hottest and hence the need for more A/C.

my 2 cents

Answer 12

The problem with solar energy was the start up cost the the solar cell compared to the amount of energy provided per Kilowatt hour. Great advancements have happened in the last ten years but remember you only get sun maybe half a day.

Answer 13

Solar energy is used in some places. And the use is growing. The problem is it just isnt very efficient.  It takes alot of room for the cells. It also uses oil to make the plastic so with the increase in oil prices the solar panels have gone up as well. The only viable source of power that can meet our needs is Nuclear. But because human nature is to fear wht they dont understand we are handicapped by politics.

Answer 14

To the person that ask this question I am sorry for sounding like I am talking to you here because I am not. I am talking to a lot of the people who answered your question. The ones that don't have a clue of what they are talking about. Solar Electric is free even if you pay 36000 for it. People just can't see past their have to have it right now someone owes me type greed.

Seems that people are willing to put a price tag on their grand kids lifes. Seem that life is not worth 36,000 dollars to most people. It is just corprate america type of thinking if you ask me. Who cares what happens as long as we can show the profit right at this minute. That is why most business in the USA are gone now. No one is able to think a week ahead.

What have you done for me today? Who cares about tomorrow! Well worry about that tomorrow!! Where is my money and I am not willing to wait for it no matter how bad it hurts me later in life.

You can rent your home just like you rent electric so why do you want to buy a home? You have to pay a big up front cost just like with anything else. A car never pays for it's self and yet you will pay a large up front cost for it as well.

The fastest way to make a profit with solar is do the install and wait a year and sell the home with the solar pre installed. You get your money back on the solar system plus profit and then free electric from the time you instlled it till the day you sold the home and system for the profit.

Solar electric is nothing but profit even if the gov don't give you a penny.

Do you want a freebee? What makes you think the rest of us owes you anything. If your electric bill is 100 dollars a month that is 36000 over thirty years. A solar power system last 30 years so you are just buying the next 30 years of power up front and at a discount. If you allow the cost of living to increase compounded for thirty years you will end up renting over 100,000 dollars worth of electric from the public utility and notthing to show for it but the stubs where you made the payment. just like renting a home.

I guess I don't understand?

Answer 15

I a working on severla solar projects adding to 1 GW, it is the best energy for the price if you have to pay the real price of oil, natural gas, nucular, wind may not blow in the hottest part of the day...Today here is what we know:  many of mankind’s advancements cause earth surface to warm, destroy the ozone layer, kill off endanger species and in some way cause more destruction.  Blacktop (roads and parking lots) and buildings heat cities, air pollution (causes lung and other diseases), deforestation (causes duststorms which increase hurricanes and cyclones), fires (cause pollution, mud slides, and deforestation); Refrigerants like CFC's, solvents including benzene (destroy the ozone layer raising skin cancer rates); cars, airplanes, ships and most electricity production (causes pollution including raised CO2 levels). We need to fix our part! That is why I founded CoolingEarth.org a geoengineering web sight. The federal government needs to adopt a pollution surcharge to balance the field and advance new technologies. We must pay the real price of oil including global warming and for health effects. But with that we must understand we have never seen what is now happening before. CO2 has never lead to temperature change, but temperature change has led to increases in CO2. The models have to be made as we go along with little evidence! The result is:  change is on the way. Even natural events are warming earth and causing destruction. The sun has an increased magnetic field causing increases in earthquakes (more destruction), volcanoes (wow, great destruction), and sun spots. Lighting produces ozone near the surface (raising air pollution levels). But humans have destroyed half of the wetlands, cut down nearly half of the rain forest, and advance on the earths grasslands while advancing desertification. The USA Mayor's have taken a stand and I believe are on the right track, we can have control and can have economic growth.