An affordable gift may reach your neighborhood in the near future… cleaner, brighter air…inside and out.

As countries everywhere are committing to a “greener” planet, the price of solar energy components is rapidly being driven down. Right now, there are basically two active solar power technologies that are ripe and ready for full harvest…photovoltaic (which converts sunlight directly into electricity) and concentrated solar thermal (uses mirrors and lenses to focus sunlight into a concentrated beam converted into steam to create electricity). In addition, passive solar, created by taking advantage of the sun’s rays with building materials and design, is available everywhere…now.

Having access to affordable, available solar energy components will let us arrive sooner at our clean, pollution free world…a world that might otherwise not be available at all.

Taking advantage of the sun’s energy is currently being supplemented by support from federal governments worldwide. Either through direct government building or providing incentives to encourage businesses and individuals to take greater advantage of solar energy techniques that are available today, governments everywhere are beginning not only to see the advantages of using solar, but seizing it.

Solar energy in remote locations…space satellites, roadside emergency phones, isolated buildings, solar powered road signs…are all indications that solar energy is quickly moving forward in these arenas.

Solar powered automobiles are rapidly making their way to the forefront of energy-efficient transportation…in a nick of time. As gas and oil prices rise rapidly, having a solar-powered automobile or hybrid makes more sense to more people every day. This, in turn, of course, gives the necessary incentive to automobile makers to produce more electric and hybrid vehicles.

Huge investments are being made by China to create solar energy plants. Their vast, deserted deserts are the perfect location for construction. China will become a leading global harvester of solar energy, according to their national energy bureau, as they have a huge population to consume the energy they produce.

Japan has remained a large contributor to global solar wattage produced, and has been a leader in solar energy production for a long time. Currently, however, Japan’s domestic demand is so high their production does little more than fill their own needs. Germany and Spain, also large producers, have begun to fall behind China and Taiwan as high labor costs have driven production costs up. Until recently, with new technology drastically changing production methods and reducing costs, North America hasn’t really been in the game, although it appears that may change as interest goes up and prices down.

With the crossover point for solar to reach parity with other energy sources rapidly approaching, everybody’s jumping on board to wave the banner of good news. Solar energy worldwide is being seen as an extremely viable option to reduce global warming, and our reliance on fossil fuels as greater demand and global production are creating greater competition.

The use of solar energy around the world is clearly going to give us a brighter picture. Densely populated areas like Los Angeles, Tokyo, New York, London and Cairo, once converted to solar power, will present clear blue skies rather than brown rolling smog.

With new materials in solar roofing, the bright, shiny roof tiles, or sparkles that you see on roofs will be solar energy being spread across the rooftops of the world. The exterior walls of our buildings will be more than just walls…they will be solar collectors as well. Some farmers may elect to produce a new crop…solar cell PV panels, or thermal troughs, and previously empty space in deserts and open prairies will be used to capture and store the sun’s energy.

Whatever methods work and are used, capturing and putting the sun to work in a solar power system will make this a better place to live. Imagine driving in any city without smog, being able to see unfiltered sunlight and being able to breathe clean air. Using solar energy will allow a stronger, healthier population.

There is a certain percentage of the population that is convinced disastrous climate changes are reshaping our future as greenhouse gases escape as we burn fossil fuels. This percentage of the population is undoubtedly already in the camp that believes using solar energy, and all other renewable energy sources, will keep us from destroying the planet we know and love.

The other percentage of the population…those of you who want to…or choose to…believe that fossil fuel greenhouse gases aren’t to blame for what’s happening may not be as much in favor of renewable energy for power. However, there is one fact here that cannot be escaped. Fossil fuels are becoming more and more scarce. And as a result, they are becoming more and more expensive…to find…to produce…to bring to market. Maybe the end isn’t immediately in sight, but it is coming. And as it does, prices will rise…even further and faster than they already have.

“We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy – sun, wind and tide. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had more years left.” Thomas Alva Edison

Many, many years ago, Thomas Edison readily recognized how solar energy will make a better future. It’s time, isn’t it, that the rest of us turned on that solar light bulb as well?

Looking to find out all you can about home solar power then visit www.HomeSolarPowerExplained.com to find the best advice other solar energy topics.

Before we can talk about whether they’re effective or not, maybe you’d like to know exactly what a solar powered car is. Simply put, it’s an electric car. Except…it doesn’t plug in to a wall socket or anywhere else because the electricity that runs is comes from solar energy panels attached directly to the top of the vehicle.

The photovoltaic (PV) solar energy panels capture the energy and convert it into electricity.

At this time, solar powered cars are really short-distance vehicles…short races or commuting…as they require a lot of direct sunlight to run right. They do have solar batteries that store any additional energy not needed for immediate operation, but currently their storage capacity is too limited to be of any significant value to do anything other than provide less than 50 miles of additional operation.

If you really want the current answer to the effectiveness of solar powered cars now, what you’re going to hear is “We’re not quite there yet.”

Solar powered cars, with a few more technological advances, however, definitely show the promise of producing one of the best solutions to reduction of fossil fuel dependence, and the reduction of greenhouse gases.

While coal-burning plants step up to the number one spot for the creation of greenhouse gases, vehicles fall into the second spot. Falling into first place for both sources of greenhouse gas emissions is the United States, contributing 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide through coal-burning power plants, and 1.5 billion tons through automobile engines.

With these statistics, it’s easy to see why the United States, with only 4% of the world’s population, isn’t seen by others as a strong environmental defender. Progress has been extremely slow, despite the desire and the undisputed technology to make a significant difference.

Automobile and energy industries have lobbied long and hard to resist further legislation or incentives that would really produce tangible results. As a result, gas-hogging SUV’s and other large vehicles still maintain a strong hold on the American market.

Solar powered cars in the United States are currently developed nearly exclusively for race cars. The cockpits are deliberately kept small, and the vehicles light. The solar energy panels that are used on these cars costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their technology, however, clearly shows their capability…they can run fast and produce absolutely no pollution. This includes no noise pollution as the panels work silently in collecting and storing energy.

Globally, in the last few years, there have been a few solar powered cars (although not totally vehicle-generated electricity) built that are for use by the general public. These cars are generally what’s called a SPEV, or solar powered electrical vehicle. Most are small, one person vehicles suitable for short commutes – back and forth to work or to the grocery store. One notable advance, however, is in the solar powered five-door Blue Car hatchback, which is a fully electric vehicle with solar panels being produced in Europe. The ad in inhabitat.com states: “The solar panels on the vehicle’s roof provides some power to the vehicle’s systems. It comes with regenerative brakes and a Lithium Metal Polymer batteries, and has a range of 155 miles per charge. According to the manufacturer, all the materials in the construction have been sourced to be as environmentally friendly as possible.”

An electric hybrid car…a car with both an electric and gasoline engine…the Toyota Prius, has also made a new solar energy addition. It has an optional solar roof capable of adding power for an additional 20 miles. If you’re thinking that’s not a huge contribution, think of it as one baby step backward…which in this case is a good thing…in vehicle contribution to global warming.

Since solar powered cars work without burning fossil fuels, they create a very viable solution to the energy crisis. Not to mention…no oil changes, no tune-ups. And…you don’t have to take them in for an emissions check…ever.

As a country, when we decide to invest through our purchases and our voice…and to insist that our representatives in the House and Senate invest with us…in solar power, we diminish our carbon footprint.

If we want solar powered cars to come to the forefront for production and distribution, we need to support the technology, and insist on the research and development needed to make them the effective, economical transportation they can…and will…become.

Learn more about solar power cars. Stop by Timothy Peters’s site where you can find out all about home solar power and what it can do for you.