For much of history, humanity has derived energy from human and animal labor for work and production, but that changed during the Industrial Revolution, when steam power fueled large vehicles and factories to truly transforms society. In the late 1800s, electricity further enhanced the world’s energy grid and spurred the development of many new technologies, and this is still true today. Throughout much of the world, fossil fuel power plants are generating plenty of electricity, but that may not last much longer. These fossil fuel plants are facing heavy criticism because they pollute the air constantly, but the good news is that clean energy sources such as solar panel arrays and wind farms are ready to replace them. Cutting down on pollution means more than just shutting down those old power plant, since humanity’s energy needs are greater than ever. But today’s solar panel installation companies are up to the job, and a residential solar panel system is just the start. Massive solar panel arrays out in the deserts can provide vast amounts of energy, and all of it is pollution free. Solar panel repair and engineering also employs many Americans.
The Advantages of Solar Power
Why is solar power getting so much attention? There are a few good reasons to pursue this technology, and one of them is the sustainability of solar panels. Solar energy, as the name implies, comes from the sun, and the sun puts out power on a truly astronomical scale. In fact, more solar energy flows across the Earth each day than is used in all of industrial civilization. Therefore, solar power may satisfy not only our current energy needs, but also provide enough power for projected energy supply needs in the future, too. There is room for growth, in short. And besides that, the sun is set to shine for another five billion years, and it cannot be mined out like a coal seam or a natural gas pocket. For all intents and purposes, solar energy is indefinite, and that can only be an advantage for humanity’s power needs.
As mentioned above, solar panel technology is very friendly to the natural environment, much more so than fossil fuels are. Power plants pollute the air while in operation, but a solar panel array will never generate any byproducts, no matter how much energy they produce. No gases, no liquids, not even any radiation. This is why solar panel technology is a major part of the global “go green initiative.
Finally, solar panel technology creates many new jobs because of the need to engineer, build, install, and repair these panels. There are some concerns about solar panels eliminating fossil fuel jobs, but in fact the solar energy sector creates far more jobs than it eliminates. This is very good for any economy, and solar panel companies are appearing everywhere across Europe and the United States. Many European nations have made public pledges to derive certain percentages of their power from solar panels in the near future, and while there is no national American pledge like that, many American cities and states are taking matters into their own hands and rapidly expanding solar panel installation all the same.
Where to Install Them
Solar panels can be installed in arrays large and small. Homeowners can look up and hire solar panel installation companies to place solar panels on brackets on their roof, and the home will be disconnected from the public power grid. This eliminates the electric bill and helps cut down on pollution if enough homes do this. And yes, these homes will also have back up batteries to provide power during cloudy days or night, and the solar panels can charge those batteries during the day. Commercial buildings may have such rooftop arrays installed, too.
These panels can be installed on a large scale, too, and arrays of hundreds or even thousands can be built out beyond city limits where they won’t get in anyone’s way. Often built in arid and sunny regions, these massive arrays generate enough electricity to supply an entire neighborhood or city block at a time. This allows communities to shut down their fossil fuel plants and therefore eliminate pollution, since these panels can provide it all (and without polluting the air).
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