Why It’s Critical to Upgrade to Solar Power Now That You Can
by Shelia Norling
The promise of solar power has been coming for years but has remained just out
of reach for most of us. Now that
’s all changing...and just in time. It’s been 76 years since Thomas Edison told Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, “I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we
don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Oil and
coal may not have run out yet, but it
’s getting too close for comfort.
According to the International Energy Agency, the world consumes two barrels of
oil for every barrel discovered. And, according to the International Monetary
Fund, 70% of the proven oil reserves are held by the Middle East and North
African oil suppliers. As Admiral Hyman Rickover strongly warned in his 1957
speech on the risks of being dependent on non-renewable resources,
“Ultimately, the nations who control the largest energy resources will become
dominate.
”
As the global energy demand continues to increase (an estimated 59% over the
next 25 years), and the cost of oil, gas, and coal continue to soar (U.S.
electricity prices increased 10% over the last year), there is an increasing
urgency in our need to upgrade our nation to solar power.
The sun supplies enough energy to earth in one hour to supply all of our energy
needs for an entire year! But solar power currently produces less than 1% of
our residential energy needs. How is this possible?
Until now, solar power has been too expensive and too complicated. The average
consumer has been required to pay about $40,000 to upgrade their home to solar
power. They were also responsible for installing it, maintaining the equipment,
getting permits, and more. No wonder we don
’t see more solar powers on the roofs in our neighborhood.
But now we’re reaching a critical point where things have got to change. The summer heat
waves we
’ve been experiencing are expected to get much worse according to Met Office
(global weather service) and droughts and wildfires will occur more often
according to Scripps-UCSD. We can all see that our world is changing and our
weather is getting more intense. For example, the number of Category 4 and 5
hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years according to MIT.
There are many theories as to why our global weather is changing so
dramatically, but it
’s not rocket science to realize that the amount of pollutants we put in the
atmosphere can
’t be helping matters. One thing each of us can do is obtain our electricity from
a clean, renewable source like solar power.
New net metering laws require that utility companies allow renewable energy to
flow into the grid and then allow the consumer to pull that same amount of
energy back off. Basically the grid becomes a huge battery. The meter spins
backwards when the sun is shining and forwards when the consumer pulls power
back off the grid. These laws were passed because residential energy production
was the number one cause of pollution in the U.S. last year. Not all states
have passed these laws yet but with enough demand from us they will.
One solar power company is taking full advantage of the opportunity presented by
the net metering laws. This company is building the world
’s largest solar power manufacturing plant and gearing up to install solar panels
on 100,000 residential homes per year not to mention the commercial and
industrial sector.
Finally, solar power is being made affordable for our homes. Not only is it
affordable, they say you can spend less for clean electricity than you
currently pay for dirty electricity and your rates won
’t keep going up. They even install, maintain, and service the equipment for no
additional charge. When word of this gets out to the general public, there will
be waiting lines to get your solar system installed. Best to reserve your
system early.
I encourage you to find out more and do what you can. Every single home upgraded
to solar power makes a huge difference. Together we can create a better future
for our children and ourselves.
Shelia Norling is an active leader in the mission to upgrade America to solar
power.
