L.+McCormack+Energy+Wiki

=__**SOLAR POWER**__=

Our world today has a huge problem at hand. Including fresh water and energy. The majority of the world depends on fossil fuels for energy. The use of these fossil fuels ring on two major problems. One is that in the next 20-30 years, almost all of the now used fuels will be gone, leaving us with limited sources of energy. Also, the continual use of these fossil fuels over the years has caused an atmosphere and climate change, starting global warming. This furthermore effects the world because the climate change has cause a shortage of water supplies in areas where it is needed.
 * 1. What is the problem at hand?**

The driving force of this problem is that most people continue to use fossil fuels as and energy source, even though they know how it is affecting our environment, and even though they know we have limited recources. People all around the world depend on fossil fuels to get through the day and they are our main source of energy. If the world were to start using other energy sources instead of depending on those fossil fuels, the problem might not be as large.
 * 2. What is the driving force of the problem?**

Most people are not doing anything to solve this problem. They keep using up fossil fuels, thinking its not going to affect them. However, one very big measure has been taking to solve this problem, that being the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol was created in 1997 and by 2007, 175 parties had ratified the protocol. This basically is being used to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are causing the climate change today. =__//**<---Kyoto Protocol**//__=
 * 3. What are poeple currently doing or not doing to solve the problem?**

One way we can solve this problem is by the use of solar power (by getting energy from the sun). Solar power works by taking sunlight and turning it into electricity. One way to do this is the photovoltaic effect. A brief explanation of this would be that solar panels are used to absorb photons from the sunlight. When the sunlight hits the solar panel, electrons are taken out of the atoms, and create electricity.
 * 5.** **Explain how it works. THIS IS A BIG ONE!**

Using solar energy to supply a million homes with energy would reduce CO2 emissions by 4.3 million tons per year, the equivalent of removing 850,000 cars from the road.
 * 6. determine the amount of CO2 it produces or inhibits**

Solar Power can purify water by distilling it. This is done by a solar still, in which impure water is evaporated by the sun, followed by condensation, and then the collection of that now pure water.
 * 7. determine the amount of water it can generate or purify**
 * [[image:still.png width="419" height="140"]]

8. highlight the best aspects of it** Solar energy is a renewable resource. This means that unlike fossil fuels, we would be able to keep using solar power without worrying about it running out. Also unlike fossil fuels, the use of solar power would not create pollution or contribute to the "Greenhouse Affect".

Solar power has a low energy production. It is less efficient than some other energy sources, and large amounts of solar panels would be necisscary to produce a useful amount of heat and/or electricity.
 * 9. describe how the critics would discuss it**

The sun already contributes to a lot of the world's energy because it has always been there and is almost unlimited. It is very easy to use the sun as a energy source because the sunlight is constantly hitting the earth anyways, its just a matter of putting it to good use. Solar energy was actually being used as early as the Greeks and Native Americans, who would direct their homes towards the sun for heat.
 * 10./11. If it already makes up a lot of the world's fuel/energy supply explailn why.If it doesn't make up much of the world's fuel/energy supply explain why.**

Solar power could help solve these problems because as said before, it is a renewable resource, which doesnt cause pollution. Considering that the main problem is that we are running out of resources, and the fossil fuels are hurting the environment, solar energy is a great solution. When we do eventually run out of fossil fuels, solar power is an environmentally friendly replacement. Also, this could not exactly solve, but help the problem with the water supplies around the world. Solar power can be used to purify water by distillation.
 * 14. Explain how it could help solve some of the problems or contributes to those problems.**


 * 15. Explalin what it would take to do your thing better or in a larger scale.

16. Explain who uses that technology and why. If it isn't used very much explain that instead.** Solar power is used by people to provide energy for houses and cars, as well as simple things like calculators. One practical application for solar powered cars is possibly golf carts, because they spend most of their time parked in the sun.


 * 17. After learning about it what would you do next to change how its used? why?**

"Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power." JIMMY CARTER, televised speech, Apr. 18, 1977

"The use of solar energy offers huge potential for natural resource and climate protection, and for the expansion of renewable energies on the road to a future-oriented energy supply." MARGARETA WOLF, speech, Jun. 20, 2004