| The price of a barrel of oil has never been higher | | | | concept. No wonder governments are looking for |
| ($62.00+ in summer 2005 even before the chaos | | | | alternatives. And no wonder everyone is talking solar |
| caused by Katrina). Some say this is a temporary | | | | once again.In 1985 annual worldwide solar power |
| spike, but more and more analysts are agreeing that | | | | system installation accounted for 21 megawatts of |
| this kind of pricing is here to stay. World consumption is | | | | power. By 2004, this had multiplied to an incredible 927 |
| at an all time high and given the new thirst for oil in | | | | megawatts in new installation power production alone. |
| China and India it is unlikely to diminish. According to | | | | The demand for solar produced energy over the last |
| International Energy Outlook, global demand is | | | | several years has increased annually about 25%, |
| expected to continue to increase by as much as 59% | | | | although in 2004 sales were up a whopping 67% from |
| in the next fifteen years.Already, consumer energy bills | | | | the previous year.There are several reasons for this |
| have been increasing on average 6.5% per year for | | | | increase in popularity for all things solar powered. |
| the last thirty years in the United States. Given the | | | | Beyond the obvious environmental considerations and |
| dramatic rise in the cost of producing energy using | | | | the privilege of not having to rely on power from a grid |
| traditional non-renewable resources, this rate is bound | | | | that is aging and stretched to capacity, solar is getting |
| to be overtaken by unheard of price increases in the | | | | cost effective. While traditional energy production gets |
| very near future. And for consumers who are | | | | more expensive, technological advances are making |
| becoming more and more environmentally conscious, | | | | solar power cheaper.In 1980 the cost of harvesting |
| the thought of the millions and millions of tons of CO2 | | | | energy from the sun stood at about $100 per watt. |
| and other bi products being released into the | | | | Literally a hundred times more expensive than the |
| atmosphere annually through the use of fossil fuels in | | | | going rate of electricity, these systems were not |
| creating energy is very alarming.It is a no brainer that | | | | economically viable. By 1999 however, technology had |
| our reliance on oil to create energy leaves us very | | | | reduced this to about $4 per watt and costs have |
| vulnerable. There are renewable technologies that | | | | continued to decline by about 5% per year since. The |
| produce energy, but the problem has been one of cost | | | | Return on Investment is becoming very attractive for |
| effectiveness. It has always been cheaper to supply | | | | many commercial organizations and |
| energy using fossil fuels, and consequently, renewable | | | | consumers.Efficiencies have been realized in several |
| sources such as solar or wind power have not taken | | | | technologies. The inverters that transform the collected |
| off. But the situation now appears to be changing. | | | | DC energy into usable AC energy used to deliver only |
| More and more, our consumption of energy is | | | | about 65% efficiency. 35% of the collected energy |
| outstripping supply. The grid can barely keep up with | | | | was lost in the transformation process. |
| demand and rolling blackouts are no longer just a | | | | |