Solar power and alternative energy - Essay Example

Solar Power and Alternative Energy The conventional sources of energy have received as much criticisms as their profound benefits. They have been great drivers of industrial production and without these sources, economic growth and development would be a milestone to achieve. They have been excellent, efficient, and relatively reliable. On the flipside, they have been high risk sources of energy with regard to environmental and human safety. Among these sources, there are some energy sources that are low risk as compared to the commonly used energy sources (Wald 01).

For instance, harnessing of solar energy through concentrated solar power and photovoltaics has been instrumental in producing relatively reliable energy, while maintaining environmental safety. The use of solar panels at some point was tipped to be a next-generation project but the successes so far have been minimal. One major factor that has contributed to this situation is the fact that the installation cost of the solar panels has been expensive most especially for the majority of the average citizens.

Secondly, the available installations have not lived to their billings as they have not been sufficient enough. However, solar energy can be made more sufficient but with high costs (Longman et al. 107).Comparatively, other sources of energy are cheap and more efficient than solar energy. This is possibly the reason why so many citizens shy away from incurring the exorbitant expenses of installing solar panels. Besides, its reliability can be severely tested as it depends a lot on the sunshine, which is often never present during winters and other extreme weather conditions (Mathew 141).

Despite the bottlenecks, solar energy is environment friendly and can be enhanced through improved initiatives. Citizens should be empowered through campaigns and provisions of incentives. The negatives do not technically outweigh the advantages except for the fact that public perception has been severely deformed by the cost of installation. Besides, the government has done significantly little to make the use of solar energy more profound. There is no need for other sources of energy of solar energy can be maximally utilized (Buie, 570).

Work CitedBuie, Damien. "Corrigendum to “The effective size of the solar cone for solar concentrating systems” [Solar Energy 74 (2003) 417–427]." Solar Energy 79.5 (2005): 568-570. Print. Longman, Ryan J., Thomas W. Giambelluca, and Michael A. Nullet. "Use of a clear-day solar radiation model to homogenize solar radiation measurements in Hawai‘i." Solar Energy 91 (2013): 102-110. Print. Mathew, Xavier. "Solar cells and solar energy materials." Solar Energy 80.2 (2006): 141. Print. Wald, M.L. Energy, the Environment and the Bottom Line: Using Solar Power to Extract Oil. 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2014, web< http://green.blogs.nytimes.

com/2011/02/24/using-solar-power-to-extract-oil/?ref=earth>