It is no secret that the sun can be harnessed to provide a source of energy for homes and businesses.

The sun is a powerful star. It supplies us with energy, through a process called nuclear fusion, and sustains life on our planet Earth. Solar energy, or energy from the sun, has existed since prehistoric times when men would magnify the sun’s energy in efforts to start fires.

The sun is a valuable resource that radiates enough energy on the United States in one day to meet the nation’s needs for one and a half years. Since it is a free, clean and renewable source of energy, it is an energy source that will play a vital role in our future.

Using the sun’s energy for our energy source seems like an easy solution to having an energy supply forever. Harnessing the suns energy is where the problem lies. The sun’s rays shine all over the world and not in just one spot. Although it takes only 8 minutes for sunlight to travel to the earth, trying to catch the rays over such a wide area can prove to be tricky. Also, the energy in any one given place will vary due to factors, such as, clouds and weather conditions.

The history of using solar energy began in 1890’s when solar water heaters were used in the United States. Solar water heating requires a storage collector and a storage tank. Flat plate solar collectors are mounted on rooftops. Pipes carrying water are pumped through these collectors. The tubes are painted black so they will get hot quicker. As the heat is collected the fluid in the tubes get heated. A storage tank holds the hot liquid. This helps with central heating and cutting fuel costs. Solar heaters became popular when natural gas was expensive and burning wood and coals were burdensome. It’s popularity diminished with the discovery of an abundance of natural gas and oil deposits. Now they are making a comeback to replace the depleting fossil fuels that had taken its place.

Solar energy can be in the form of heat energy or light energy. The technology of photovoltaic, or PV as it is commonly called, converts the suns energy into electric currents through the use of solar cells. These electric currents can be used instantaneously or stored for later use. The PV cells consist of pieces of silicon under a thin piece of glass. They have both a positive and negative charge. Simple examples of this are the solar powered calculators that are common today. More complex examples are solar panels placed on roofs. This consists of using thin film solar cells as rooftop shingles, roof tiles, and even glazing for skylights. Unfortunately, the cells generate only about one sixth of the sun’s energy into electricity. This means bigger arrays are needed and along with this come larger costs.

Solar thermal power plants use the sun to heat fluid, which in turn, is transferred into steam similar to fossil fuel burning plants. The steam is transformed into mechanical energy in a turbine and electrical energy from a generator. The downfall is solar plants cannot produce energy on cloudy days.

It is expected the next few years will see millions of households using solar energy. As research continues and processes improve, using our sun as a renewable energy source will produce efficiency and cost savings. So, let the sun shine in and take full advantage of this warm energy source where you live.

Multimedia journalism project for COMM 190 at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa

Professor Bob Carter makes an examination of whether Climate change is due to CO2 emissions with 5 straight forward tests a must see video

In December 2008 an Ice Storm barreled through the northeast knocking out power. Much of the New England states were left in the dark for several days while the rural areas went weeks without electricity. For some people they found refuge in a community shelter and for others, well, they were prepared – backup systems or a small generator. My family had a generator but, unfortunately it ran on gas and we ran out, the road we live on was littered with power lines and fallen trees. Three days past before town officials were able to go down the road with a loader to clear one lane. Once there was a lane cleared we went looking for a place to buy gas, after 40 miles of traveling and several detours we found a place that was able to pump the gas because they were on backup power from their generator. While pumping the gas tanks full and watching the panic of the society trying to function with no electricity, it was then and only then, I realized we have an addiction problem. 

    We as Americans take for granted the power that flows into our house from power lines. We take for granted that gas stations will always have gas for us -no matter how expensive. We take for granted that our oil tanks in our house will always be filled so we can live in a comfortable heated zone. The American culture for the last 120 years (since the invention of the car) has lived leaving a destructive carbon print on the earth.
 

    The point of this is we as Americans are addicted to fossil fuel energy whether it is gas or diesel for our vehicle, oil for our furnace, or electricity (generated from coal or oil plants). Like every good addiction breaking the habit is painful. Are we as a society really committed to changing or are we just willing to make small changes that really amount to nothing. Are we willing to invest money now in solar for our homes, community buildings, or even the streetlights that guide our way in the dark? Are we willing to place some wind generation on our hill sides, near the ocean, or any wind alley that could supply energy for society? Only you and I together as a working group willing to resolve our addiction to energy can answer this question. 

    We now have solutions to resolving some of our energy addiction; the new Government is focusing on green energy, clean burning coal, and hybrid cars for our future. Solar companies are making strides in improving photo voltaic cells, Wind generation companies continue to improve technology that can power a neighborhood. Wood pellet stoves can heat your home efficiently while burning clean not adding any more to the carbon print than the wood would if it rotted away. We are getting there as a society but, will our efforts continue with no days off till we have reversed the damage we have done to our fragile earth. Only time will tell.

This TV advert explains that everyone has carbon footprint and it contributes to climate change. You can calculate your carbon footprint at direct.gov.uk/actonco2 … climate change global warming carbon footprint act on co2 environment science tv advert

We are all well-aware of the staggering effects that our use of fossil fuels has had, and will continue to have, on the environment. Global warming, acid rain and a host of devastating results will continue to threaten the majority of species currently inhabiting the planet for many ages to come. Luckily there are also millions of people currently working hard to reduce and limit these problems, and their efforts tend to be focused on several key “green” initiatives.

These initiatives encompass a wide range of efforts and plans, but the bulk of them tend to be centered on alternative energy production. Rather than relying upon coal, oil and gas for energy production, these groups work to create reliable and affordable methods for creating energy from solar rays, wind, water and even steam.

What is the future of green initiatives? That question involves multiple answers. For instance, there is a huge trend for consumers and businesses to purchase things called “carbon offsets”. These are tax deductible contributions to groups working to create alternative energy sources or who are currently at work in reforestation projects, among other programs. The majority of them offer a consumer tools that will help them determine their carbon usage during a standard year and then allow them to purchase “offsets” against their consumption. This tends to “balance the scales” which is something that has not been happening over the past few centuries.

Of course a majority of people look to solar technologies as the simplest and most well-developed of the green initiatives. Solar energy has been studied for more than a century, but only since the 1950s has its real potential been recognized and implemented. Today, there are active solar energy power plants and many home and business owners have taken strong measures to implement as many solar energy options as possible in their homes and offices. Using outdoor LED lights is one such strategy. 

There are also some great answers in the power of the wind, but this is a bit more restrictive in implementation because a measurable and steady supply of wind must always be present in order for the system to work. Currently there are hundreds of “wind farms” working to supply communities or homes with their energy needs.

Though there are many problems facing the planet, there are also millions who want to work to solve them. This is the basis for all of the green movements and green initiatives at work in the modern world. The technologies that will lead to their success have been improving and becoming more and more accessible every year, and will continue to do so for decades to come.