Solar Energy: More Accepted than You May Think

Climate change has been a major global issue for the past years and the use of non-renewable energy sources is only adding to the pollution that is responsible for the destruction of our planet. One of the biggest indicators of unproductivity is the lack of utilization of renewable energy sources. Currently, only a small percentage of Florida’s energy is attained by renewable sources (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2017). The state of Florida is capable of at least partly running on solar or hydro power, but most schools don’t take advantage of the resources that are naturally occurring. Specifically, the School District of Palm Beach County operates a total of 112 schools, as reported by the school district website. Of them, ten have achieved LEED certification, a rating system that certifies “green schools,” meaning that they are energy efficient and use sustainable resources. This leaves the other 102 schools to continue to use up non-renewable resources and contribute to the mass pollution of the Earth. According to XCel Energy, schools spend billions of dollars yearly, just to deal with the daily expenses. However, a significant portion of a school budget is used for utilities such as air conditioning, water, and electricity. Both individual schools and the school district could save money by taking advantage of the natural resources in Palm Beach County. If schools were to incorporate more renewable

Currently, the Canadian government is taking several initiatives to control climate change. In 2017, Canada signed the Paris Accord and agreed to cut 30% of carbon emissions by 2030.

Imagine this: rivers flooding towns, fires spreading across millions of acres, and hurricanes hitting the coastlines. This might be familiar since this all occurred in 2017. Humans are the greatest contributor to global warming and it has no sign of slowing down. What will our children or grandchildren be left with? Is there still time to fix what we have done? The short answer is no. What we can do is help slow down global warming and give future generations a better world to live in by using green technologies like solar power. Some may argue that green technologies such as solar panels pollute the earth but when compared to gas or coal, a solar panels negative effect on the environment is very minuscule. Solar panels are consistently getting better with breakthroughs of innovation. Solar panels are also a huge bonus to have with real estate and can be even more beneficial in certain states. Another thing they can give the consumer other than electricity is money! Solar panels are literally out of this world when it comes to outer space and how it contributes to new discoveries. Another form of solar power that has proven to be effective is called solar thermal systems. There are two types of solar thermal systems, solar thermal, and concentrated solar power.

Solar industry has been paying lots of attention to coating technology in the past 10 years. Solar energy is considered the future of alternative energy sources. It has been recognized as one of the most widely used renewable sources of energy in the few recent years for its non-polluting characteristics which combats the Greenhouse effect on global climate created by the use of fossil fuels, figure 1.6. The generation of solar power is done by converting the solar energy into electricity by using either photo-voltaic (PV) solar cells (direct method) or concentrated solar power (CSP). Photoelectric effect is used by PV cells to convert solar energy into electric energy. With the rapid growth of solar energy harvesting as a clean source of power, the enhancement of solar cell efficiency grabs more attention nowadays.

Canada has the potential to be a “sustainable energy superpower” due to the vast amount of resources it contains. It has a large landmass and diversified geography which can be used to produce renewable energy from such resources; watermill, wind, biomass, solar, geothermal, and ocean energy. Renewable energy is energy obtained from natural resources that are able to be naturally replenished within a human lifespan (Natural Resource Canada, 2014). Currently, fossil fuel burning is the major source of energy in Canada and although it can be re-used, the process is so long that it is considered to be non-renewable. Also, fossil fuel burning for coal, natural gas, and petroleum gas pollutes the environment with greenhouse gases on a large scale, causing global warming. Non-renewable energy is taken from sources that re available on Earth in limited quantity, likely vanishing within fifty to sixty years from today (Conserve Energy Future, 2014). Thus, it is important for Canada to invest their money on resorting to more environmentally friendly and renewable ways to make electricity. Being a developed country, Canada has the financial stability to purchase the technologies over time in order to produce renewable energy. In addition, many organizations and the government have taken a step to educate the society about issues regarding energy usage, and to create programs which conserve energy for the future. In the future generations, Canada will be able to generate sufficient

Ontario has its own creative and effective strategies to combat climate change. One of Ontario’s goal is a low-carbon future. To accomplish this the province started making carbon reductions in 1990 and are on track to reduce carbon emissions by 15% in 2020, 37 per cent in 2030 and 80 per cent in 2050 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). Ontario’s target of reducing emissions by 6% was met on schedule in 2014 (Climate Change Action Plan, 2017). One of the reasons this has been made possible is because of Ontario’s investment in carbon reduction. For example, in 2015 Ontario committed $325-million payment to Ontario’s Green Investment Fund to support programs that help households and businesses implement

In late 2015, a research study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the overall opinions and perceptions of rural South Carolinians regarding solar energy. Survey respondents were drawn from a database of the twenty rural electric cooperatives that operate throughout the state and in each of the state’s 46 counties. Of specific interest was the preference for solar power installations on the property of the member-consumer versus interest in a community solar program that would be located within the community but not on an individual’s property. In addition, the survey and the anticipated results are designed to determine if there is a preference for rooftop solar generation versus ground mounted panels if solar is

Climate change is an urgent problem that requires international cooperation and commitment to solve. Throughout history various treaties have been agreed upon amongst countries, the Paris Agreement being the most recent one. In my essay, I will analyze the actions taken by Canada as one of the major greenhouse gas emissions after the Paris Agreement was adopted. The government of Canada is taking both a domestic and an international approach towards achieving its target of reducing its total greenhouse gas emissions by 17% before 2020, relative to its 2005 emission levels (Climate Change, 2017). The new government, a liberal party led by Justin Trudeau, has agreed and is looking forward to working with international partners towards leading the world in the direction of a low-carbon and climate resilient economy. In addition to that, Canada is willing to provide developing countries with the necessary funds of $2.65 billion to ensure an environmentally safe transition towards sustained emissions reductions, and further projects for the poorest and most vulnerable countries (Climate Leadership Plan, n.d.). Canada’s plan of action consists of making significant investments of $300 million to the Mission Innovation initiative for green infrastructure and clean technologies development (Baird, Pummer and Bodin, 2015: 747 - 758). In addition to that, Canada is determined to put the Paris Agreement into action through collaborative approach, working its way up from provinces to

The Clean Power Plan needs to be implemented and followed if solar energy is ever going to become more prevalent in the United States. Many states have already begun shifting away from coal without the CPP ordering them to. However, the Trump administration has already stated it plans to reenergize the coal industry. The administration is also trying its best to repeal the CPP completely, although this will not actually help the coal industry. The plan has already been stalled once after the Supreme Court issued a stay on the CPP in 2016, and if it gets repealed then the CPP would not have made any progress at all (Kestler D’Amours, 2017). With coal use already on its way out, it does not make sense to start revitalizing it now. Many people are turning to alternative sources of energy, and the job market there is continuing to expand. Even if the CPP does get repealed the coal industry will continue to decline as more and more people turn to alternative forms of energy. If the clean power plan is reinstated and executed properly it would open the door for many renewable resources, including solar energy. Without the CPP the United States carbon emissions would most likely still decline, but with the CPP carbon emissions would decline much faster, and more money could be allocated to alternative, clean energies.

What is the point of the sun? What do we even use the sun for? Is it just a waste of space? The sun is actually one of the most important natural sources in our galaxy, the Milky Way. We use the sun's radiation and heat rays and we wallow in the heat and sunlight, and because of the sun, we live. The suns radiation helps trees grow because trees provide the oxygen we live. The sun is extremely important. The sun is ninety-two point ninety-six miles away from us, and yet it still benefits us! Besides being able to live because of the sun, is there anything else we can use the sun for? According to "That's Solar Power" there is, "The sun is a natural resource. The sun's energy can be used to power homes. That is good for the Earth. Fossil fuels are used to provide energy in most homes. But the use of fossil fuels for energy can poison the Earth". Just like Abdul Kalam said, "If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun."

We have improved technology since the Industrial Revolution that we’re able to make great changes to help the quality and longevity of our lives as human beings on earth, but at a price: Climate change. As we continue to live in this one and only place we call home, many of us are striving to build a better future for coming generations by looking for ways to acquire cleaner energy as well as ways to lessen the carbon footprint we are leaving behind. Some major companies, like Tesla, build electric cars that require no gasoline. Solar power strictly was for high end businesses now is quickly becoming available to many homeowners to help with the cost of bills, and uses less coal, gas, or nuclear energy depending on the power plant.

Solar energy is now a great source of renewable energy. Due to the limited stock of fossil fuel, solar panel systems become more popular day by day. Now Industries, houses and defensive forces are using solar panel systems to generate power. The solar panels generate power from sun radiation. Solar cells are also known as Photovoltaic (PV) cells. When sunlight with a specific frequency hits metal, loosely bound electrons emit from the metal as shown in Figure 1. A potential difference is created in between the cathode and the anode. When the anode and the cathode connect, current flows. Solar panel systems use this mechanism to generate power. Then, generated power is carried out to the battery to store and distribute to the load. The main obstacle for solar panel systems is night and cloudy weather, due to low solar radiation.

Current analysis by the IFC ranks the MENA region above emerging markets like China and India in market interest for sustainable investment . With the necessities for diversified economies and youth bulges providing an eager labor force, there is certainly room for growth in the region. A study by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows that countries seriously involved with renewable energies can expect significant job creation. In Germany, for example, the numbers were 150,057 for direct employment and 120,533 for indirect . Coupled with the increasing openness of the societies and the political reforms of some of the countries mentioned previously, it would be a beneficial time for those areas to capitalize on the

What do the bubonic plague in the 14th century, the influenza epidemic of the early 20th century and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the late 20th and early 21st centuries have in common? One answer, according to Joel B. Stronberg author of the American Solar Energy Society’s “Common Sense,” is that they have all been called pandemics. According to Merriam-Webster.com, a pandemic occurs over a wide geographic distribution and affects “an exceptionally high proportion of the population.” Joel B. Stronberg declares that we are currently facing another pandemic. This pandemic is the combination of the consequences of burning fossil fuels. The two major problems from burning fossil fuels are global warming and decreasing oil

Many people argue that solar panels have prohibitive costs to install, however solar energy is the best option financially benefiting both people and companies by adding great value to commercial and residential buildings. The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory points out that homes with solar energy are sold 15% faster than homes without it. It approximately adds an average of $5.50 per watt. (Advantages of solar energy for your home, Solarworld, 2009-16) At first, installing solar panels in homes may cause cost effect, yet it saves people a lot of money on an average