PV Gap

Johnnie Said:

is there any ideas to develop alternative fuel that is non-dependent on solar (sun) energy or earth resources?

We Answered:

Some folks are doing interesting things with tidal energy.

It really all goes back to the sun in the end though - even oil comes from biomas, which captured and stored energy from sunlight.

Dorothy Said:

when are humans going to live like plants on ( sun) solar energy?

We Answered:

The chlorophyl energy cycle isn't efficient enough to enable plants to walk, run, talk, think etc. Plants pretty much spend their lives just growing slowly passively reacting to the seasons and producing seed.
If you tried to live off the same cycle you would have to supplement the solar energy your chlorophyl collected with virtually the same amount of food you eat anyway. Bottom line, not much evolutionary advantage for animals.

Bessie Said:

Is harvesting of solar energy and sun light possible, if so explain the best ways for the use of mankind?

We Answered:

Schemes to harvest raw sunlight out in space or from the Moon have been mentioned in science magazines from the beginning of the space age. Most I've read about beamed the energy to Earth by converting it to microwave energy. One can only be imagined what effect such a beam passing through our atmosphere would have. It is theoretically possible to build a large solar facility in the American southwest to supply the entire country. It would be incredible large, (larger than a few states), extremely expensive, but would be nonpolluting. Germany is the leading country in the world when it comes to the use of solar power and yet that country is not really known for it sunny weather. There is definitely a vast untapped potential in areas like the American southwest and the Sahara desert or for that matter any place of Earth that gets more than it's share of sunshine.
Only the cost of collecting this energy is a factor at the moment. The viability and practicality have been well established.

Antonio Said:

Once an Ice age occurs, why won't the sun's solar energy melt the ice?

We Answered:

Well, two good reasons.

First of all, the reason that the major ice ages occur in the first place. It isn't change in solar output as much as it has to do with the Milankovitch Cycles, which are proven perturbations of our orbit over hundreds of millions of years that will at times (long times) take us much father, or much closer than our normal orbit entertains. So quite simply, we're farther away, and the intensity of the sunlight isn't enough to melt the ice.

Second, it's a feedback effect. When we cool, and ice and snow form, what's called our "albedo" increases. Albedo is an impressive scientific term for how "reflective" a stellar body is (planet, moon, asteroid, comet - things that don't emit their own light). The more reflective you are, the less sunlight is hanging around, so the less heat there is in the atmosphere to melt the ice. Which then allows the air to cool and create more snow and ice... it's kind of like the reverse of the "greenhouse effect" theory (except has nothing to do with gases).

That's why.