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If the sun can provide enough energy to support all plant life on earth, then it can also produce the energy we need to support our daily living. In fact, the sun produces more energy than we will ever need, much less consumed. Currently, renewable solar energy is only being used to heat water used in a household and to power solar attic fans.
Even if its application is limited at the moment, incorporating renewable solar energy into your household to provide part of your energy needs means that you will be reducing your fossil fuel consumption. It may be a small step but it’s still a step toward a cleaner and greener world.
The energy that the sun produces is not only immense, it is also readily available for anyone to harness and utilize. Additionally, solar energy continuously replenishes itself; for as long as the sun burns, energy continues to be produced. However, converting all this freely available and renewable solar energy into usable electricity is not so easy to do.
The very first solar energy technology was built in the 18th century by a Swiss scientist named Horace de Saussure. He used his solar collector to cook food and heat water. It is a little disappointing to realize that the applications of renewable solar energy have not gained much ground since then.
Even after Einstein himself has set the foundation for the understanding of the “photovoltaic effect” which is being used in the development of today’s solar energy technology.
Solar energy technology may have had an early start, but because fossil fuels were a more convenient and affordable option, it was all but forgotten and its full potential was never realized. Until now. More and more consumers are starting to appreciate the advantages of renewable solar energy and more and more individuals are becoming interested in utilizing these advantages.
While it is true that renewable solar energy is free and readily available for harnessing, not to mention environment-friendly, the current technology available tends to highlight its disadvantages more than it does the potential.
The cost of installing the technology may be too steep for some households. And given the limited amount of energy that can actually be utilized, the cost may not seem worth it. To make up for this drawback, some governments are offering subsidies or incentives to households that opt to add solar energy technologies as an alternative energy source for their homes.
Those who are planning on building a new house for their family can maximize the potential of existing solar energy technologies by building a solar house. A solar house is custom-built to fully take advantage of the sun and its energy, by incorporating the technology directly into the house plans and designing the house so that it can absorb as much of the sun’s energy as it can. Nowadays, with the great interest in renewable solar energy continuing to grow, a number of construction companies specialize in building solar-powered homes.
In your own way, whether big or small, you can contribute to the effort of lessening the detrimental effects of global warming and saving the environment by utilizing renewable solar energy in your home. There is a vast quantity of information on the technology and it will not be very difficult to find an expert who can advise you on how you can include solar energy technology in your household.
You can start by installing simple solar lights in your yard to provide part of your household’s heating requirements. If each one of us will do our part, no matter how small, we can each make a positive difference in the fight against the destruction of our planet.
