Nahigian.Kandler.Fall.2009.energywiki

Solar Energy 1/C Kandler 2/C Nahigian


 * 1. What is the problem at hand?[[image:http://www.sustainabilityninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/global-warming.jpg width="395" height="248" align="right"]]**

Today’s world has been drastically changed by the humans that inhabit it. Hundreds of scientists throughout the planet believe that if mankind does not radically change its habits, Earth will plummet into destruction filled with violent storms, droughts, floods, epidemics, and heat waves. The main problem is the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is being released into our Earth’s atmosphere. These record high CO2 emission levels have been directly related to the increase in average temperatures throughout the world and if  these emissions are not severely reduced as soon as possible, it may be too late to reverse the process.



"Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each one of us can make choices to change that with the things we buy, the electricity we use, the cars we drive; we can make choices to bring our individual carbon emissions to zero. The solutions are in our hands, we just have to have the determination to make it happen. We have everything that we need to reduce carbon emissions, everything but political will. But in America, the will to act is a renewable resource."


 * 2. What is the driving force of the problem?[[image:http://webpages.csus.edu/~bm884/global-warming.jpg width="433" height="366" align="right"]]**

Climate change will have a huge effect on not only the environment, but on humans as well. Ironically we are the driving force of the problem. Since the Industrial Revolution humans have been destroying the planet and not even knowing it. The main causes of global warming and climate change is the release of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases are released due to environmentally inefficient human activities such as deforestation, factory farming, the widespread use of fossil fuels, and the exponential growth in world population.  Another problem is the battle within politics. Many politicians have continued to blatantly ignore and refuse the facts in regards to global warming due to a conflict of interests. Many politicians do not want to put the time in to solving these problems so they simply ignore them. But the fact of the matter is that something needs to be done now if not should have been done already. The people of this planet are the driving problem of global warming and climate change and every one of us needs to do our part in order to preserve life, the environment, and the human race.


 * 3. What are poeple currently doing or not doing to solve the problem?**

Many people have understood the urgency and are doing their part to help fix the global warming problem. People have begun carpooling which decreases the amount of cars on the road emitting greenhouse gases. People are also taking notice of leaving electronics on when it isn’t necessary. Lights, televisions, stereos, fans, etc. all add up and contribute to the problem and many people are taking the time to turn these off when not in use. Planting trees, recycling, riding buses and many other ways all attribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Most of the government has also stepped up to the plate and supported the fight against global warming. Valuable information and education is now being funded by the government (due to the new administration) as well as laws and acts, such as the Clean Air Act have been created. Funding is also available now for companies that use or manufacture alternative sources of energy. Research and development has improved as well and many scientists and engineers are creating new ways to supply energy without harming the environment. Energy efficient lighting, appliances, heating/cooling systems, and ideas are all being created in order to help the planet reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. However, this is not enough. The whole world has to jump on the bandwagon and accept that global warming is a problem. Many people, including government officials, still deny the facts that global warming is in fact real. In order for the problem to be solved, governments and the people of this world must all do their part. Wind power, solar power, fuel cells, hydroelectric, vegetation on roofs, including many more ideas and theories can all add up. Solar power for example currently offers huge rebates, tax incentives, and energy credits for implementing these systems whether they are for residential properties or commercial properties. Solar power whether it be photovoltaic or thermal can be very helpful in reducing ones dependency on fossil fuels and could be a piece to the puzzle that solves global warming.

 Electricity that is generated from sunlight is called solar power. By converting sunlight to energy electricity can be created and then used for several different functions. Focusing on the residential side, there are two main types of solar arrays that you can equip your home with in order to cut energy costs while at the same time protecting the environment. Solar energy is captured and made useable in two different forms. The first form is through Photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells take the sun light and turn it directly into electricity that could be used immediately, or stored in some type of battery system. The second form of capturing solar energy is through the heating of air or a fluid thru a concentrated area, better known as a panel. These types of panels take the solar energy and convert it into heat. This heat is used immediately, or stored in a tank for use later on. A simply example of one of these types of panels would be a solar cover rolled out over a pool to capture heat and make the pool warmer. Other forms of this can be found in hot water heating systems in your home or any commercial building. Many facilities including the pool here at Mass Maritime use this type of solar to heat pool water. A pool is a huge source of energy consumption; millions of BTU’s can be dumped in daily, just to maintain a constant temperature.
 * 5. Explain how it works.**


 * 6. Determine the amount of CO2 it produces or inhibits.**

Solar Energy is completely unreliable on fossil fuels. They emit zero green house gases and for every array implemented on houses, huge amounts of C02 is saved from being released in the atmosphere. For example the house that I live in typically has a $300/month electric bill. According to the “Cooler Planet Solar Calculator” on solarpanelinfo.com, this means that I am releasing 33,251 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air every year and thus promoting global warming. This is the same amount of carbon dioxide I would emit if I drove an average sized car 36,846 miles. In order to offset my home’s carbon dioxide emissions, it would require 83 trees to be planted per year. 



 There are several ways in which the use of solar energy can directly, as well as indirectly, purify water. A small scale technique could consist of a reservoir filled with water with saran wrap over the top of it. As the sun shines through the clear cover, the water is heated up until evaporation. The water particles then form on the saran wrap and eventually end up being collected into a separate reservoir. This water is separated from all harmful substances and impurities and is the purest form of water possible. Of course this is a very small scaled model but it is possible to recreate this on a much larger scale.
 * 7. Determine the amount of water it can generate or purify.**

Another way to use solar energy to generate purified water is by using it to run a pump. Earth’s purest water is often found very deep below the grounds surface. In order to reach this water it usually takes machinery such as diesel generators to run pumps in order to bring the water to the surface.

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Solar power has hundreds of great qualities behind it. Some of the best aspects of solar include the availability of the technology around the world. The amount of jobs it can create in the production side of the panels and the final installation end. Lastly the time line in which solar could be implemented is another great quality. No matter where you turn to for your news now a days you cannot go without hearing or seeing a story on major job loss. With the jobless rate somewhere around the 10% level, solar production offers hundreds of thousands of Americans relief in the job hunt. From blue collar skilled labor that would be assembling the panels, to the white collar salesman who will be pushing for the installation and purchasing of the panels. A strong developed market of solar power will have great effects far beyond the emissions reductions. Solar is a very special form of energy. It is special in the way that if the sun is in the sky IT WILL WORK. From the deserts of Arizona producing huge amounts of Kilowatt hours to the tiny undeveloped village in Africa using solar to power a well pump for fresh water, it is truly an answer for many when it comes to energy needs. Solar is here, it has been proven to be productive and works anywhere! In about 6 days time any homeowner in the country could have a solar system capable of keeping their home off the grid. Although it would cost a significant amount of money it could be done. From hiring an electrical contractor to flipping the switch on the electrical panel, six days is all you will need. With turnaround time this quick, the labor readily available to accomplish it, and most of the infrastructure already in place, solar is one of the most viable options to alleviate CO2 emissions and Americas thirst for foreign oil.
 * 8. Highlight the best aspects of it.**

Just like anything new, or something that is not seen or heard of on a regular basis, solar power has its critics. The critics seem to be focused on one main argument, “ Solar does not pay off”. In many cases this is true. Solar is very expensive to accomplish successfully, but as many people are finding out, certain solar systems with all of the government incentives out there are well worth the investment. There are also the extreme environmentalist critics that will go as far as to call solar power “not green”. The basis in which they claim this is that in the production process the amount of CO2 produced and the types of raw materials used far outweighs any environmental gains that would be had by generating free electricity. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.” -Benjamin Franklin
 * 9**. **Describe how the critics would discuss it.**


 * 10. If it already makes up a lot of the world's fuel/energy supply explailn why.**


 * 11. If it doesn't make up much of the world's fuel/energy supply explain why.**

 At this point in the green energy era, residential home owners seem to be the only ones pursuing solar energy to cut back on their energy bills. Although there are commercial companies that take advantage of the rebates and incentives associated with implementing solar panels, there needs to be more. The funding provided by Barack Obama’s administration allows commercial buildings the implement solar energy basically for free. Entrepreneurs and start up solar energy companies can receive huge profits from marketing and advertising their products to these companies. Hospitals, schools, and other commercial businesses can all benefit from this type of product, it will help jump start a new industry and market, and it will most importantly help to limit the amounts of CO2 emitted which is harming our atmosphere.
 * 15. Explain what it would take to do your thing better or in a larger scale.**

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> As mentioned earlier, the technology is mostly utilized by residential owners in certain areas. Obviously the location of your property plays a role into deciding whether or not to purchase a solar array (thermal or photovoltaic). If you live in the Southwest it makes much more sense to purchase solar panels than if you live in the Northeast. Although it can still function properly and provide efficient energy output in the Northeast, it is much more efficient cost wise, pay back wise, and kilo-watt hours wise. Because California, Arizona, and parts of Nevada on average have up to 200 days of sun per year, these would be the most sensible areas. Another factor however is the state government. Typically liberal states are more likely to provide higher rebates, incentives and credits to consumers as opposed to conservative states who may be less thrilled about spending state funding on alternative energy sources.
 * 16. Explain who uses that technology and why. If it isn't used very much explain that instead.[[image:http://www.solarecoenergyaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/PhotovoltaicSolarResource-Full.jpg width="399" height="274" align="right"]]**

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> After learning how solar panels are used to provide electricity as well as hot water for homes and commercial businesses, I would change two things. First I would continue the government funding, and even increase it, to state and local governments and urge them to urge their citizens to take advantage of it. The green energy industry needs to be jump started and people need to understand that global warming is very real. The government must illustrate to the citizens that they can save extreme amounts of money when implementing these arrays. People must see and understand the monetary advantages first before they will consider solar energy. Because of today’s difficult economy, people believe they have more to worry about than the threat of global warming. However it should be the opposite. The reality is that the global temperature is rising year after year; there are holes in the ozone in parts of South America where children cannot go outside because they are so susceptible to skin cancer. Increasing funding is controversial due to the condition of the economy but it is the only thing that will persuade people to utilize these sources of energy and stop leaning off of fossil fuels. The second thing I would do is provide education about global warming and what they can do to prevent it. The subject must be implemented into children’s curriculums and classes must be available for adults as well. There should be classes on alternative and renewable energy design and engineering as well so that students not only learn about these systems, but how to build them as well. There is an extremely large amount of money that can be made in this industry and with government funding, as well as, increased education in schools and towns, this industry can be jump started and begin fighting to decrease to world green house gas emissions.
 * 17. After learning about it what would you do next to change how its used? why?[[image:http://www.otshows.com/shows/images/green_earth.jpg align="right"]]**

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