Solar power is the wave of the future

Humanity has been using energy from fossil fuels for such a  long time, our planet is now polluted so badly that many climate experts believe it’s too late to reverse the damage. The sun is the biggest source of energy in our solar system, and finally, we are learning to utilize this unlimited form of energy. In ancient times, when heating a home wasn’t as simple as turning on the heater, civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Greeks had to plan months, if not years in advance to make their homes tolerable during the winter. Many homes were strategically built to capture as much of the sun’s heating rays as possible during the day so that they would stay somewhat warm during the night. Many years later, in the late 19th century, we were still harnessing the sun’s energy with simple passive solar water heaters. Although these water heaters were nothing more than a simple black-painted barrel, they were still capable of storing hot water for extended periods of time by absorbing the sun’s heat during the day.

The current state of solar

Germany is an excellent example of today’s solar energy. The country receives more than fifty percent of their electricity from solar, which demonstrates that renewables such as solar are capable of supplanting traditional fuel sources when a concerted effort is made. Currently, the world only gets about one percent of its energy resources from solar.  However, it is expected that in the next 30 years this percentage could skyrocket to as high as 27%. Energy experts at the International Energy Agency (IEA) believe that such a significant increase is entirely possible, especially as the current solar technology matures. At 27%, solar energy systems such as solar farms and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants would become the world’s most important energy resource, generating more energy than fossil fuels, wind, or hydroelectric systems, as well as reducing carbon emissions by at least six billion tons per year.

Future solar technology

Today, most solar panels have a maximum efficiency of about 33%, meaning that much of the sun’s solar radiation is wasted.. This is a major obstacle that solar energy systems must overcome to achieve growth in the energy industry. Fortunately, many technological advances are accompanying the solar revolution and increases in efficiency are already being felt. Because of this inefficiency, the solar industry is investing heavily in discovering new ways of improving the efficiency of solar energy systems, with three of the biggest developments in solar energy storage, perovskites, and multi-junction cells.

Solar energy storage

Solar energy storage is crucial to the success of future energy systems because, without it, any excess electricity that is generated throughout the day cannot be utilized at a later time when sunlight isn’t as plentiful (like at night). Solar batteries are becoming gradually more efficient and new technological advances are showing great promise.

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.