SolarIdeas! web site


Solar FactsFrequently Asked Questions

	Naturally, there are many myths and misunderstandings associated with solar energy utilization—and there are likewise many reasons for this circumstance. The primary reason that solar energy utilization is not well understood by the general public is due to a lack of strategic initiative for the development of solar energy technologies, as compared to conventional energy fuels. The energy industry (oil, gas, coal, nuclear) keeps the public and policy makers in thrall for obvious reasons. In years past, fossil fuels and electricity were inexpensive and in seemingly endless supply. The entire population wanted energy fuels and electricity at their ready disposal. This situation has not been entirely negative, for it has helped to build our culture, our cities, and our industries, and has made our lives generally more comfortable. However, most people by now have forgotten or do not know that there are alternative choices for energy—choices that make economical sense while being friendly to the environment. And furthermore, that utilization of these alternatives is simpler and safer than conventional heating systems. A cleaner environment has become an international concern, because it affects every member of the planet—not in some distant future, but now. No one, regardless of wealth or location, is immune from noxious gases, acid rain, or nuclear radiation. The time is soon approaching when solar energy utilization will not be an alternative, but a definitive. To heat homes and buildings using oil and gas, while ignoring the sun, will someday seem as foolish to us as a Texan living in New York. Public education has always been the primary goal of SolarIdeas since our inception in 1983. Today, we remain at the forefront of solar energy technology for space heating. There is hardly anything simpler than using solar energy for heating. Our team of energy experts is determined to dispel the myths of solar energy, by presenting clearly the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy fuels, so that the international public may make an informed decision about which type of energy it prefers. Solar energy: An idea whose time has come—for all inhabitants, present and future, of our planet.

Solar Facts

Solar Energy

	On an average heating day in Amarillo, Texas USA, there is eight times the amount of solar energy incident upon a home or building than is required to heat it. In most world climes, there is a solar abundance compared to heating need. On every day of the Gulf War (199_), there was more solar energy incident upon the United States of America, some ____ BTUs, than the total energy contained in every barrel of oil lying beneath the sands of Kuwait and Iraq combined. There is no shortage, no peril, of solar energy.
	In a single second, the sun produces more energy than the population of the Earth has ever used—or will ever use.
	The cost of solar energy is free. It will always be free. No individual, company, or nation can monopolize or control the cost of solar fuel.
	The sun is the ultimate source of energy. It is essentially the source of all fuels on Earth. Fossil fuels, hydro, wind, wood, biomass—none of these would exist without sunshine.

Conventional Fuels

The total natural gas reserves of the United States is some 600 trillion cubic feet. In the early years of oil mining, there was little use for the flamnable gas that pressurized an oil well, and so it was "flashed," meaning simply that the top gas was burned to relieve pressure on the well head. In 1936, the process of well flashing reached its peak, and in the fields of West Texas alone an estimated 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas was flashed in a single year—an amount equal to current US resources. These are "market forces" at work—and which continue to drive the energy industry in various forms.

Natural gas is our only natural source of methane and ethane, which are indispensible to the manufacture of materials that are becoming ever-more important to our everyday life, such as plastics, polycomposites, and PVC, to name a few. Burning this non-renewable resource for the purpose of creating heat is short-sighted, especially when there are ample solar resources to provide heat. On the other hand, there are no alternatives for ethane and methane, now or in the future, and their manufacture from fossil fuels is very expensive, polluting, and greatly increases greenhouse gases.

Health Matters

	Air pollutants are the chief cause of hospital admissions among children and senior citizens living in urban areas—from asthma attacks to premature deaths.
	The American Lung Association reports that air pollution from electricity production costs the nation $20 billion per year in health care impacts such as hospital admissions.
	One-third of energy consumed In the USA is used for heating, cooling and lighting of buildings.

	Solar Frequently Asked Questions	solar\|renewable energy
Solar Facts
	What is "solar energy?"
	Solar energy refers to the energy that is released or radiated by the sun as a result of its inherent nuclear fusion process. This broad-spectrum energy reaches Earth in principally two forms: In the form of light ("short-wavelength") energy and thermal ("long-wave" or infrared) energy. There are additional spectra of solar energy, including the ultraviolet, but visible light and thermal are the most important forms of solar energy.
	What is the difference between solar "photovoltaic" and solar "thermal" energy?
	Solar photovoltaic energy is that portion of the solar energy spectrum that is most readily converted to production of electricity. Solar thermal energy refers to that portion of the solar energy spectrum that is most readily converted to heat. SOLAR COLLECTORS vs SOLAR SYSTEM HOW LARGE A SYSTEM DO I NEED, ETC HOW MUCH DO SOLAR SYSTEMS COST HOW COMPLICATED renewable energy what is the greenhouse effect?
	What about "solar powered cars?"
	In short, solar powered vehicles are not currently practical. SolarIdeas is dedicated to presenting facts regarding the immediate, practical use of solar energy. The promotion of solar powered cars by representatives of the solar industry and "solar-friendly" groups does a disservice to the field of solar energy utilization, because it encourages the idea in the minds of the public that solar is exotic, complicated, scientific and futuristic. Such presentations only serve to benefit the oil and gas industry. Solar energy utilization is practical now, as demonstrated by the hundreds of thousands of solar installations world-wide. It does not require the skills of an engineer or an architect; It requires a trip to the hardware store. It is a fact that substantial pollution is created with the production of solar powered vehicles, due to the manufacture and disposal of batteries required to provide energy storage. On the other hand, vehicles powered by fuel cells that derive their energy from sunlight show incredible promise, albeit their practical use is likely many years away.
	Photo credits: Appalachian Mountain Club


	Back to Top
	HOME \| INTRODUCTION \| DESIGNS & SYSTEMS \| PRODUCTS \| ABOUT US FAQs \| RELATED INFO \| ORDERS \| E-MAIL THIS PAGE

	Copyright 2000, Solar Associates, Inc. Vega, Texas USA info@solarideas.com