It’s almost embarrassing to say it out loud… The United States, a great proposition to find and use renewable energy sources, statistically shows that less than 1% of energy needs are met by using solar energy.
While the United States has good solar, or radiation, potential over most of its geographic area, coal, gas, and oil have been considered more profitable and reliable in the past, and are therefore more widely used. . What has not been taken into account in the past is its cost in terms of environmental pollution and the use of non-renewable resources at an alarming rate.
Global warming has led to demands for a reduction in the generation of greenhouse gases. This, combined with the ever-increasing costs associated with finding, producing and trading coal, gas and oil, is increasing the demand for alternative energy sources, including, in particular, solar energy, at all levels of the market.
To help with the ongoing costs associated with installing solar energy, and to help reduce those costs, there are specific federal and state tax laws that allow homeowners, as well as private businesses, to credit their solar energy purchases. against your annual income tax payments. , and as rebates on your energy bills assessed by utility companies. By offering a 30% energy tax credit to businesses, the federal government is strongly encouraging the purchase and installation of renewable energy systems.
Industrial applications continue to grow slowly with tax breaks, although they have been the power source of choice in remote locations for some time. This includes power for TV, radio and microwave repeater stations. Many road signs and traffic signals are now solar powered.
Some cities and states, California in particular, have been moving quickly to take greater advantage of solar energy. Central power applications, which use various solar energy harvesting methods, distribute power in a grid fashion similar to other power distribution methods, though on a smaller scale.
An aggressive and promising look at bringing more of America into the “solar age” is the US Department of Energy’s partnership with Solar American Cities. Launching in 2007 from 12 cities, this group of 25 current metropolitan areas is working with private and government agencies to find ways to use solar power for municipal power. “[The] Cities… are taking steps to make solar energy a more viable option for their communities. These Solar America cities are using innovative approaches to remove market barriers to solar power and encourage the adoption of solar energy technologies at the local level.” Statement by SolarPanelsPower.net. Their main efforts have been focused on reducing the costs of photovoltaic (PV) cells, and one of its biggest successes to date has been simplifying the permitting process for solar power installations and removing market barriers to encourage adoption of solar power for city power.
Deterrents to the wider use of active solar power systems through photovoltaic (PV) cells in the United States have been their cost and space requirements. One of the most promising new developments comes from Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In late 2009, they announced the creation of “solar photovoltaics the size of a glitter”. According to their press release on this new technology, both the cost of PVs and the space requirements to use the new PV cells will drop dramatically as the benefits of scale are introduced.
Through the potential for performance improvements, reduced costs, and higher efficiencies from smaller cells, solar energy could be captured and used in ways as diverse as in the clothing worn by hunters, hikers, and military personnel, who could then power items such as cell phones, flashlights, etc., while in remote areas.
On a larger scale, Sandia field engineer Vipin Gupta says: “PV modules made with these microcells for the rooftops of houses and warehouses could have smart controls, inverters and even storage integrated at the chip level. This type could greatly simplify the cumbersome design, bidding, permitting, and grid integration process that our solar support teams see in the field all the time.”
Because microcells don’t require much material to form “well-controlled, highly efficient devices,” they will be cheaper to manufacture and install, particularly compared to current photovoltaic techniques.
While the United States may still lag behind many other countries, including those in Europe, Asia, and China, there is clearly an unprecedented incentive and desire as a nation to not only catch up, but to outperform other countries in our development and use of solar energy. .