Solar Future: 6 surprising facts about solar energy that you did not know
Jun 30, 2016
Steadily rising prices for heating, the deterioration of consumer fuel qualities, consumption limits, the high cost of connectivity, and sometimes even the impossibility of it are pushing us to use the alternative energy sources. However, all this can be avoided by paying attention to the Sun – the solution to the economy problems and ally in the fight against climate changes on the planet.
The so-called "policy support" of innovators is already being carried out in many countries, while the prices for solar panel systems in the last 8 years have been cut down two times. But that is not all. Here are 6 facts that will convince you that the future of our planet is the Sun.
The so-called "policy support" of innovators is already being carried out in many countries, while the prices for solar panel systems in the last 8 years have been cut down two times. But that is not all. Here are 6 facts that will convince you that the future of our planet is the Sun.
1. The Sun provides 10 thousand times more energy than we consume worldwide
Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy in the world – at any given time, 170 thousand terawatts of solar energy get on the planet. This is 10 thousand times more than the total energy consumption worldwide.
Just to give you some idea of the situation: the average smartphone uses about 2 thousand watts of power during the year. And in order to heat the entire volume of water on Earth by 1°C you need only about 40% of the energy that we get from the Sun.
2. In the US alone the solar energy production increased 23 times in the last 8 years
The solar energy is growing in popularity every year. In 2013, China has produced 12 gigawatts of solar energy, Japan – 9.5 GW, and Germany produced 3.3 gigawatts. In the United States, this figure is at the extremely high level: over the last 8 years, the number of the produced solar energy in the country increased by more than 23 times – from 1.2 GW in 2008 to 27.4 GW at the end of 2015.
However, the fastest solar energy market growth is observed in the third world countries that have an abundance of sunlight and poor people without electricity.
For Ukrainians, the installation of such a system will cost approximately as an imported compact car – starting from $15 thousand; therefore, the so-called "boom" on our market is not observed.
3. The Sun will become "the oil of the XXI century" for us
According to the forecasts of Shell company analysts, the Sun will be the largest source of electricity for consumers by 2070, and by the end of the century the share of solar energy will be in three and a half times higher than the share of the oil industry and almost 6 times higher than the share of the nuclear energy.
Saudi Arabia – already a leading exporter of fossil fuels – is going to invest $109 billion to cover the future 100% of energy costs with the renewable sources.
4. The cost of solar panels during the last 40 years decreased in 100 times
Due to the tremendous growth in demand, solar technology industry in the US creates job positions six times faster than the overall labor market.
In this regard, the cost of solar panels since 1977 has decreased by approximately 100 times. Today, solar panels can be bought at a half of their price in 2008.
For 25 years – the life duration of the solar panels – the average New Yorker saves $31,000. There is no similar data for Ukraine yet.
5. Aerospace have adopted solar technologies long time ago
Space industry was one of the first to use solar technologies: in the 1960s, they were used to power spacecraft on board, and the first artificial satellite in the solar batteries Vanguard 1 is the oldest artificial satellite in the orbit.
The so-called "solar planes" also exist. NASA has been working on a series of drones that work on the solar energy from the 1980s. Helios aircraft reached a record height of 30 kilometers in 2001.
6. Economic incentives for the installation of solar panels already exist in Ukraine
The territory of Ukraine is a zone of average intensity of solar radiation. However, in our country there are more hours of sunshine per year than in half of the EU countries. This makes our country attractive for people who invest in solar energy.
A resolution of the National Commission for state regulation in the areas of energy and utilities adopted in May also gives hope for the development of alternative energy sources in Ukraine and for establishment of "green tariffs" for Ukrainian households at this level:
All common thoughts in society, such as "the Sun is expensive, difficult and never pays for itself", are wrong. These statements are based on the outdated data on the technical possibilities of solar installations, their high prices for the common man, and also on the possible legal conflicts. Current data indicates that the development of solar energy in the long term can provide the solution of problems of partial or even complete energy independence.