Will Your Future Include Solar Power?

Solar power systems have been around for a long time. When the technology first became available
solar cells where heralded to be the end of the oil crisis and the energy crisis. We suddenly had
plentiful free energy, all of it coming from the sun. Within ten years solar power systems were
predicted to heat and power our homes and businesses. Some people even thought we would
be driving solar-powered cars soon, with long, sleek shapes covered with solar panels.

Unfortunately, the reality didn't quite match up with the dream. Solar panels were expensive to
manufacture, and unless you had a lot of panels exposed to a lot of sunlight, solar power systems
didn't produce very much power. However, now that we're seeing more refinement in solar power
technology, we may be witnessing a rebirth in solar power systems, at least in certain environments.

Though solar panels still absorb solar energy when it's cloudy outside, they absorb much more energy
and therefore produce more power if they're exposed to direct sunlight.

Solar power systems are therefore much more effective in Tucson, AZ, then they are in Seattle, WA.
Also, solar power systems produce more power during longer days, so short Alaskan winter days
aren't very good for solar systems. The ideal environment is in the desert, with long days and little
cloud cover.

To be effective, solar power systems don't need to power an entire business community or even
provide all of the power for a private residence. Solar power systems are much more efficient at
heating water than they are at producing power.

Since standard hot water heaters can consume over a third of a house's energy, replacing a gas-
powered hot water heater with a solar powered heater can reduce a home's energy bill considerably,
as well as making the owners eligible for a tax cut in select states.

Solar power systems are also very useful for providing power in locations which are hard to reach
with standard power lines.

They're extensively used for cell phone towers and other reflective antenna arrays located on
mountaintops and other hard to reach places. Since these installations don't require a great deal
of power or maintenance to run, solar panels can provide plenty of power without needing to be
maintained or refueled.

Though we're probably still quite a ways from a completely solar-powered society, we'll likely see
many more solar powered  devices as solar technology becomes more refined and more efficient.