PV Gap

Dolores Said:

How many years will it be before we use solar energy instead of fossil fuels ?

We Answered:

People have already been using solar for decades.

Google, for instance, just covered the rooftops of their headquarters with solar panels last year. They figure this will cut the electric bill of those buildings by about 20%.

The big problem with solar is that the equipment is expensive, which makes the return on investment (ROI) quite long. For instance, you can get a similar installation of solar panels on your roof like Google. Even with state and national rebates to help encourage alternative energy, a typical installation will cost you about $10,000-15,000 up front. Granted, your electricity bill should be $0, but this still means most families won't see a profit from their solar system for about 10 to 12 years. The main problem is the solar panels themselves. They just aren't very efficient, so you need a lot of them to produce any decent amount of power.

Scientists are hard at work at creating more efficient and cheaper solar panels.

Meanwhile, other countries are offering very lucrative incentives for people to generate solar power. For instance in Germany, many of the roads that make up the Autobahn are now lined with solar panels. Even farmers are dedicating a field or two to solar energy because they can make more money from that than from a crop of grain.

There's no reason why the US can't do the same thing, other than the fact that our current president is a former oilman. Hm...

Arthur Said:

what is one limitation of using fossil fuels and solar energy?

We Answered:

Fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas cannot be renewed. It is getting very expensive and running out.


Solar energy is not available at night and less visable on a cloudy day.

Travis Said:

how did electircity come out from eg. solar energy or fossil fuels?

We Answered:

Electricity can be generated using energy derived from the burning of fossil fuels.
(Heat->steam-> turbine-> generator.)
It can be derived directly from sunlight with photovoltaic panels.
Interestingly enough, the carbon burned in the fossil fuel was reduced from CO2 in the air by photosynthesis in plants, so that energy too was origionally solar energy.

Milton Said:

Which gives more energy, renewable resources or fossil fuels?

We Answered:

If you mean, which do we consume more, it is fossil fueled energy.

Biomass energy may cost very little, depending on the fuel. Brazil uses bagasse, a waste product from the sugar industry. I heat with wood provided by local landscapers who don't have to drive the trees they cut to the trash transfer station. All it "costs" is the power to cut and split the rounds.

The costs of different forms of energy are not straightforward. For wind energy or wave energy, the costs are primarily capital ones, to set up the machinery. For coal, the cost is in the acquisition of fuel, as well as the start-up costs. For nuclear power, you have both or those plus a whopping cost of disposal. In contrast, the ash from my wood stove can get spread on the garden or lawn in place of lime, another cost saving.