Solar Power Guide

As someone who grew up in the 70s, I can clearly recall how solar power of was routinely touted as the energy source of the future. And why not? After all it's free, plentiful and clean, right? Well, here we are, almost a decade into the 21st century and the great promise of solar power still seems a bit out of reach. Sure, there are a few solar powered homes and lots of those nice little solar powered lanscape lights - however, wouldn't you expect that by now solar would be much more common and far less mysterious?

Whatever the reason for this lack of progress, I thought it would be greatly beneficial to at least explore the current state of this technology and provide some resources for further research into the solar power options available today.

It's also been a bit of a quest for me as well. Living on a large plot of land in the highlands of Western Massachusetts and working online full-time - I've been planning the addition of an small office cabin back in the forest. It is critical for me to have internet access back there (via satellite), as well as power enough to run a laptop computer and other minor electronic devices. Is solar power for me? My guess is "probably". Would the cost be comparable to running power 1,000 feet or more into the forest? What other things need to be considered when dealing with solar power?

Also, we've been considering adding solar panels to our main house to at least supplement and possibly replace our current power usage. Apparantly, the state of Massachusetts has grants available to help fund solar power use. I'll be researching this and posting more information on this site as I find more details.

Maybe there are reasons why solar power isn't more widely used today. I'd hate to think it was strictly due to pressure from fossil fuel companies, or due to it being tougher to profit from selling sunlight! What I do know is that it's a bit silly to think we can continue to be so utterly dependent on oil - and so complacent when it comes to global warming and the environment.

Even if we cannot supply the majority of our energy demands using solar energy, how much would the global environment benefit by letting the sun power just 10 percent of our energy demands? How much LESS oil and natural gas would we consume in the USA each year? My guess is that we could save a LOT - both in consumption and in damage to the environment. If each of us can do a little, that can certainly add up.

Simple changes can have widespread positive effects, but we must be careful to consider all of the variables. I heard recently that Australia was to become the first country to move to eliminate incandescent light bulbs and mandate compact flourescent lamps in their place. The energy savings for the country overall are expected to be quite large. Of course, there is also concern that this type of change will put a strain on the supply of the compact flourescents and drive up the cost - potentially negating any savings for the consumer. I've also heard that these compact flourescents contain toxic substanses (mercury) and should require special hazardous waste disposal. If all these concerns turn out to be true, then of course such a move should probably be reconsidered to be sure that Australia isn't just trading an inefficient energy user for a costlier, more environmentally and physically hazardous alternative.

Same goes for solar power options too. Of course, we shouldn't just blindly dive in to solar power evangelism without first knowing the full story. Does the production or disposal of solar panels, batteries and other components pose any environmental or health hazards? Can we get the costs to levels that are affordable for the majority of the population. Are there ways to boost efficiency and reduce the size of solar panels and energy strorage systems?

While I'll need some time to research any possible impact from solar power on environment and health, the other points seem like no-brainers. Of course we can develop low-cost, smaller and highly efficient solar panels and energy storage systems - I have no doubt about that.