We hear a lot about clean energy these days as residential homes and businesses alike increasingly choose renewable sources over fossil fuels, the most popular and accessible of which being solar power. Using solar reduces pollution and has been proven to be cost-effective while also aiding in the creation of jobs.
Though clean energy has many positives, some are sceptical of its growth in the future and to those we have this to say; when cell phones were first placed in the market, leading consulting companies were just as skeptical about its future. This was due to the high costs involved to build the phones and the fact that the network could be quite unstable at the best of times.
Fast forward two decades from then and you will notice that their predictions couldn’t be further from accurate. Cell phones dominate the market and costs have been reduced to such an extent that even people living in poverty in developing countries are able to afford a phone.
Clean energy and the future of energy production
The same can be said to those who do not believe that solar power is the way of the future. It may be supplying less than 1% of the developed world’s energy at the moment but just as cell phones proved “the experts” wrong, so will solar power!
Solar energy has doubled every second year steadily for almost three decades, largely due to the fact that costs are declining. Such statistics indicate that solar power is a mere 14 years away from supplying almost 100% of the current energy needs of today. It is predicted that renewable sources can easily provide enough energy for the world to run in less than 20 years.
Decreasing costs of solar predicted to continue as fossil fuels increase
Australia, Germany and even places in the USA have residential solar productions that have reached matching costs to the power supplied by an electric grid. There was a 75% drop in solar panels within the past 5 years, and as new clean energy technologies are discovered, prices are expected to drop to even more affordable rates. Predictions surmise that in the next 2-3 decades, clean energy will cost less that fossil energy.
Solar energy is but one form of clean energy that may be utilized, other types include, wind, water and thermal breakdown of energies, with various research projects undertaken to improve their efficacy and efficiency.
Such implementations of clean energy will have negative implications on the fossil fuel production companies. Many will face financial bankruptcy due to a huge decline in demand. Those within the industry that have foresight are actually welcoming solar and wind power options, while others are exerting influence to halt the progress of solar development. Political influence always plays a part in such situations with many companies persuading lawmakers in charging a surcharge on solar installations.
Clean energy industry continues to flourish despite fossil fuel advocates
However such a battle is a losing one as the world on the whole is embracing the need of cleaner energy sources. Even though solar installations may still depend on the electric grid when sunshine may not be adequate, it’s only a matter of time for better battery storage research to be implemented which will cut off the need for a power utility company completely.
The net effect of clean energy will be felt in a positive way in various divisions of the economy. The environment will flourish due to a reduction in fossil fuel emissions, electric cars will be cheaper to operate, farmers may improve their methods in growing hydroponic fruits and there may even be a chance to create large-scale clean drinkable water provided by the ocean.
The cynics may hold onto their ideals of clean energy failing dismally, but the fact of the matter is that the world is moving into an age of utilizing a constant stream of inexpensive renewable sources, which will have vast implications for all involved.
Solargain specialises in solar PV and hot water installation, as well as system maintenance. They began operation in Perth 20 years ago, and have since developed into a national service with a staff of over 150 people. Solargain has offices in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Newcastle, as well as regional WA, and have installed in excess of thirty-thousand systems in their years of operation. Solargain attribute their success to a strong focus on customer-oriented service, cutting edge solar technology, and an aim to develop and promote the renewable energy industry within Australia. Read more about Solargain here.
Photo by: Intel Free Press on Flickr
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