The role of solar power in the future

Humanity has been utilizing energy from fossil fuels for such a  long time, our planet is now contaminated so badly that many climate experts believe it’s too late to reverse the damage. Despite warnings decades ago, we have continued to burn fossil fuels as if there's no problem. There has been an alternative available for a very long time that has gone underused. The sun is the biggest source of energy in our solar system, and finally, we are learning to employ this unlimited form of energy. In ancient times, when heating a home wasn’t as simple as switching on the heater, civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Greeks had to think months, if not years in advance to make their homes warm enough during the winter. Many homes were strategically built to gather as much of the sun’s heating rays as possible during the day so that they would stay moderately warm during the night. Many winters later, in the late 19th century, we were still harnessing the sun’s energy with modest passive solar water heaters. Although these water heaters were nothing more than a simple black-painted barrel, they were still able to store hot water for extended periods of time by absorbing the sun’s heat during the day.

The current state of the solar industry

Germany is an outstanding example of today’s solar power in action. The country receives more than half of their electricity from solar, which demonstrates that renewables such as solar are capable of supplanting traditional fuel sources when a mutual effort is executed. Currently, the world only receives about one percent of its energy resources from solar.  However, it is expected that in the next 30 years this percentage could skyrocket to as high as 27%. Energy specialists at the International Energy Agency (IEA) believe that such a notable increase is entirely possible, especially as the current solar technology develops. At 27%, solar energy systems such as solar farms and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants would become the world’s most crucial energy resource, generating more energy than fossil fuels, wind, or hydroelectric systems, as well as diminishing carbon emissions by at least six billion tons per year.

Future solar technology will be vitally important

Today, most solar panels have a maximum efficiency of about 33%, suggesting that much of the sun’s solar radiation is wasted. This is a major barrier that solar energy systems must overcome to achieve growth in the energy industry. Fortunately, several technological advances are accompanying the solar revolution and increases in efficiency are already being felt. Because of this inefficiency, the solar industry is spending heavily in discovering new ways of improving the efficiency of solar energy systems, with three of the biggest advancements in solar energy storage, perovskites, and multi-junction cells.

Solar energy storage is vitally important

Solar energy storage is essential to the success of future energy systems because, without it, any excess electricity that is produced throughout the day cannot be utilized at a later time when sunlight isn’t as prevalent (like at night). Solar batteries are becoming increasingly more efficient and new technological advances are displaying great promise.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Climate scientists have been after us for many years to reduce our fossil fuel combustion, but Americans, in particular, are not willing. That makes solar even more vital because the remaining fossil fuels remaining in the earth will be extracted and burned if the oild companies have anything to say about it.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.

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