Three Reasons Why Solar Energy Is The Future

It’s no secret that the world of energy production is changing. The greenhouse gasses emitted from burning traditional sources of fuel such as oil, gas and coal are causing rapid and dangerous changes in climate, resulting in more extreme weather, temperatures and other detrimental environmental effects. 

Scientists and researchers have spent several decades suggesting alternate forms of energy that do not produce the same pollutants as fossil fuels, such as wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and solar energy. All of these forms of green and renewable energy production have been employed to various extents by countries around the world, and each shows a degree of promise. Soon, countries around the world will need to commit to making a switch to one of these sustainable sources of energy.

Of these forms of renewable energy, solar energy stands out with the greatest potential of the lot. Solar energy offers a myriad of advantages and benefits over both traditional fossil fuels and its green energy counterparts. With the world desperately in need of a green energy source, here are three reasons why solar energy will likely be the future of energy production.

Solar Energy Is The Largest Source Of Power On The Planet

As a planet, earth seems abundant with many sources of energy. Violent tides churn up the seas while underneath the Earth’s surface swirls of magma and lava produce huge amounts of heat. In the sky, winds tear through the atmosphere in enormous currents. In addition to fossil fuels, it seems unlikely that solar energy should be competitive with all the other methods of energy production, since it relies on collecting heat and light energy from the sun. 

However, even if the sun may not seem as impressive as the volcanoes and tsunamis that other sources of renewable energy drive on Earth, that’s only because it’s so far away. The sun is in fact a star so powerful that, despite being 150 million kilometers away from Earth, still provides Earth with huge amounts of light and thermal energy. The sun is without a doubt the largest source of energy and mass in the solar system, and bathes the earth with enough energy in an hour  to power all human activity in a year.

 Unfortunately, capturing the entirety of this energy is extremely difficult and arguably impossible with current technology. However, modern solar panels still have the potential to convert a huge amount of solar energy into electricity, with some panels being almost 19% efficient when converting solar energy.

Solar Panels Are Cheaper Than Ever

One of the major disadvantages of solar energy is that panels must be deployed across a large area of space in order to effectively capture energy. In the past, these panels were highly expensive to produce, so solar energy couldn’t comprise a major percentage of any nation’s total energy output. Today, however, solar panels have gotten much cheaper due to advances in technology and production methods, with prices falling by 99% since 1977. With cheaper panels, the deployment of large solar collection stations have become more and more conceivable going into the future. 

Panels Can Last For 50 Years

Finally, solar panels, while still a tad costly to produce, are a worthy investment since they are highly durable, lasting between 40-50 years on average. This durability further increases the feasibility of solar energy moving forwards. Additionally, once the initial infrastructure for a solar power plant is constructed, new solar panels can replace old ones at a fraction of the initial upfront cost, ensuring that solar power plants can function for long periods of time.