Examples of solar technology such as solar powered battery chargers, solar cells, solar powered lights and many other similar devices are becoming more an more easily available to the consumer. This is a testament to the great potential of this wonderful technology, and also to the growing environmental awareness among consumers. This can only be a good thing. As our demand for energy increases, and the pressure on fossil fuel reserves increases, the reality the future holds is that we will, as individuals and as a society, be more vulnerable to these shortages unless we do something about it. Here’s a few reasons why using solar technology is a step in the right direction.
Here’s a fact of life for you. Oil, natural gas, and coal, are finite resources. It’s debatable just how much is left but it is a fact that at some point our fossil fuel reserves are going to run out. It’s also likely that before that end point comes there’ll be a decline in production levels, leading to shortages and price rises, and eventually, less capacity to create electricity.
Governments are starting to make plans for when the oil runs out, but a lot of the legislative bodies of the west are hidebound by the disproportionate influence of the existing power companies. This isn’t just the power to employ lobbyists, or the controversial arguments about US presidents on the board of Halliburton. Not everyone agrees that these things are quite the sinister consensus that some would have you believe, so let’s leave those arguments aside.
Consider instead the fact that the infrastructure of most western countries is heavily dependent upon the existing power networks. In a lot of areas, a large number of jobs are tied to the traditional methods of power production. There is also the fact that a lot of people still make a lot of money from fossil fuels. Shell’s profits, in the second Quarter of 2009 stood at $2.3 billion. That was reported as a low figure, the result of a world-wide recession! Similarly, British Petroleum’s profits were $2,562 billion in the same period. That’s a lot of shareholders still doing quite well out of the status quo!
The only way that a switch to alternative power sources such as solar power is going to happen is if it is consumer-driven. Once companies start to see that there is a market for alternative technologies, things will begin to change. Luckily, the signs of this change are beginning to show. More and more solar devices are commercially available, and solar battery chargers are being bought by savvy consumers ahead of the curve, who want to be able to store the energy they generate. As that happens, and the market increases, it will be the economic self-interest of individuals which helps to make the change. Solar power is the future, and we can purchase a stake in that future today!
