Humes.Inkley.Spring.Wiki.2011

=**__Solar Power__**=

**What is the problem at hand? The driving force of the problem? What are people currently doing or not doing to solve the problem?**
The problem at hand is the human race is using up their main source of energy being the fossil fuels. Unfortunately all the fossil fuels will have run out within the next twenty to thirty years and there is no alternate energy source to take their place. So without Fossil fuels the human race will have to find a new sustainable energy source to power the needs of the human race. The driving force of the problem is the increasing population along with the increasing demand for fossil fuels through cars and factories. People are currently coming up with new alternate energy sources such as wind power and solar energy. They are also coming up with more efficient ways burn fuel in cars so one will not need as many gallons of gas thus reducing the amount of fossil fuels consumed. People are also looking for alternate energy sources for heating their homes. Methods such as wind turbines, geo-thermal energy, solar panels, radiant floor heating, and high efficient boilers. Also people are trying to minimize the energy waste by insulating their homes more effectively and work on reducing energy used by keeping lights off in your home and other little things that add up over time. Below you will see a picture of how dirty CO2 emissions are and a graph showing the increase in CO2 emissions. “The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels," said former Vice President Al Gore in his July 17, 2008 speech on renewable energy in Constitution Hall.

"...We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses"-Al Gore



**Advantages**
__Produces no emissions__ With no excess gases of combustion the amount of carbon dioxide will decrease greatly, improving the living conditions for everyone __Obtains energy from an everlasting, easily accessible so____urce__ Getting energy from the sun is a free source and the sun will always be here forever so will never have to worry about running out of energy __Solar energy can be used for many different things__ It can be used to power cars, satellites, gadgets, generate electricity, heat water and much more. __Will save you money__ At first they are expensive to purchase and have installed but once they are in your energy bills will be much much lower and you will be saving money in the long run __Low maintenance__ Requiring no moving parts they are less likely to break therefore saving you even more money since you will not have to pay for repairs __Quiet__ Since there are no moving parts they are much more quite than engines.

Disadvantages
__Initial cost__ The initial cost to purchase solar systems are very expensive, however, after a few years you will be saving money. __Require a lot of room__ Since they require a lot of room it may be difficult to mount the systems. __Does not work at night__ You can only generate energy during the day.



http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/468_pollution.jpg

How do photovoltaic panels work?
Simply put photovoltaic panels work by converting the energy from the sunlight into useful electrical power.
 * 1) The first step is the rays from the sun come into contact with the panels
 * 2) The atoms from the rays are trapped in these panels and are carried away to the charge controller
 * 3) From the Charge controller the electricity produced is sent directly to the loads requiring dc current, there is also electricity sent to the batteries before they go to the inverter
 * 4) Lastly the electricity goes through the inverter converting the dc current into ac current where it is then sent to ac loads.

How do Solar hot water heating systems work?
Solar hot water heating systems work by circulating water in a closed type heater by a pump. Where the water will then be carried threw the solar hot water heating panel where it will pick up heat energy from the suns rays and carry the hot water back down to a tank where the water to be heated is kept. When the hot water gets the tank the heat will transfer from the circulating water in the pipe to the water inside the tank therefore heating your water. If it is not a very efficient system you may need the help of a boiler to help completely heat the water to the desired temperatures.



How much CO2 is inhibited by the use of Solar energy?
Since solar energy does not produce any emissions of any kind the use of solar energy will greatly cut down on the CO2 currently produced by the burning of fossil fuels. **A regular solar energy system will reduce the CO2 emissions by 1.2 tons per year.** Wow! That is only with one system to just imagine every home containing a solar energy system. If that was the case than the CO2 emissions would be so low you could kiss the smog in the cities good bye.

The critics stand on solar power
"My opinion is that except for special applications, solar energy is a resource and not a reserve, to use economic jargon. This means that our civilization would survive if we were dependent on solar energy, e.g. could not use nuclear energy. However, solar energy would be expensive enough to put nations that decided to depend on it alone at a serious economic disadvantage compared to nations that were not constrained to rely on it. Their citizens would be poorer." "Solar Panels are a very good choice for our economy today. We can save thousands of dollars a year of electric bills. But they are not practical to buy because these cost thousands of dollars. For the brand new solar panels and installation, it cost more than $20,000 which is not good. They also offer "buy now pay later" option but it is not good either because it puts you in debt.The solution is, why not do it yourself. There are do-it-yourself guides that shows you step-by-step on how to make solar panels. They are very cheap too. All-in-all, it’ll cost you less than $200. But be careful, you might find a DIY solar panel guide are not advisable to someone who don’t have experience on them. There is one DIY solar panel guide that I can recommend. It is cheap and it doesnt require you to be a handyman to do it. Check out the site below. If you want to know more about solar panels, check some reviews about it. included some sites as well."
 * One critic says;**
 * Another Critic says;**
 * As you can see everyone seems to be in favor of solar power for the advantages previously posted

**How much energy is produced by Solar panels?** Former Vice President Al Gore, the political spokesman for alternative energy, believes it is possible. “If we got solar energy from an area of the Southwestern desert 100 miles on a side, that would be enough, in and of itself, to provide 100 percent of all the electricity needs for the United States of America in a full year," said Gore. But is it probable? Considering the manpower, money, and commitment it would require, that’s a whole different question.
 * In three hours of sunlight a solar panel of one square meter can produce about 10,200 Btu's
 * This also depends on how big your system is and what type.
 * Is it possible to harness enough solar energy to provide enough electricity for the whole United States? **

If solar energy provided all of our electricity, it would make a huge impact on the world’s environment. We wouldn’t have to rely on coal or nuclear plants anymore for generating electricity. The burning of coal generates 54% of our electricity currently and is the biggest air polluter in the U.S. Another plus would be that the Middle East wouldn’t have us by the balls anymore. Our economy would not revolve around the price of oil. It would still be an important factor, however, because the majority of our cars still run on gasoline. Nevertheless, plug-in electric cars would be mass-produced. Tesla Motors, headquartered in Palo Alto, California, has already proved great success with these cars.
 * What if we pulled it off? **

Work Cited
http://www.jc-solarhomes.com/solar_energy_facts.htm http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12850 http://www.heat-efficient.co.uk/images/shwsystem.gif http://www.freesource.co.uk/ http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/468_pollution.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Global_co2_emissions_graph.png http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/progress/solar.html http://www.greendaze.org/what-are-your-opinions-on-solar-energy/ http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/disadvantages_of_solar_energy.html http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92638501 http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/feb/18/al-gore/al-gore-optimistic-about-solar-energy-and-pretty-a/ http://www.teslamotors.com/about