Solar Power Adoption History

The United States has adopted solar power at a snail’s pace. Generally, the reason you hear for this is the high price of solar energy components. This sounds right…and valid…until you look at the economies of scale bringing prices down, escalating fossil fuel prices, and what it’s costing us not to adopt solar energy.

The average American, according to Nature Conservancy statistics, actually uses enough energy to emit about 54,000 pounds of greenhouse gases per year. This compares to an average of 5.5 tons or 11,000 pounds per person worldwide. So…let’s see, I think that equates to about 5 times more greenhouse gas contribution per year than any other person in the world. If you’re from the United States, does that make you feel a little “icky?” Are you thinking a little more strongly about the cost of not adopting solar energy? Just for a little more consideration…would you rather be at the top or the bottom…when it comes to emission contribution?

Now, what about solar power costs? Developing countries have been much quicker to adopt solar energy because they could never afford conventional energy systems. Too many rural areas and isolated homes would be on a waiting list…forever…if they wanted traditional on-the-grid electricity from a fossil fuel power plant. Compare that to a $200 solar collector placed on a roof that lets someone who’s never have a hot shower before have that experience, and then know that once that collector had been paid for, every shower is free. What would you choose?

Hard hit by rapidly escalating fuel costs and an unstable supply source, Europe and surrounding countries have moved much more rapidly to adopt solar power. With the rise of fossil fuel costs, the number of rooftop solar systems for hot water heaters has risen exponentially.

Currently, China has about 4,000 companies that manufacture solar water heaters. According to an article in Grist (http://www.grist.org), as of March 2010, there were around 27 million solar water heaters installed.

The United States has plodded along behind, but has set standards and initiatives to move forward. As a major consumer of fossil fuel energy, we have maintained enough economic leverage to keep even imported energy costs relatively affordable. With the world economic instability, however, and rapidly depleting fossil fuel availability, this may change quickly.

It’s not all bad news, however. If, in fact, with all of the world initiatives on stabilizing global warming by using renewable energies, we were to achieve the stated goals by 2020, we could have an equivalent reduction of 690 coal-fired power plants. That is to say, by using renewable energies instead of fossil fuels, we could slash our net carbon emissions by 80%.

Do you agree… a pretty impressive objective? Definitely worthwhile? And that’s not the whole story. Moving forward rapidly to adopt solar power means we can also affect significant savings as mass production and distribution make solar energy a very affordable option.

In the United States, solar energy has simply not been able to find a price point compared to fossil fuel energy. Only the most environmentally-conscious and/or the most affluent families have adopted solar as a result. In fact, when you compare the United States to Europe in its use of solar water heaters, we fall far behind, except for swimming pool solar waters. Even that, however, is a step in the right direction. It increases the possibility that as more and more Americans decide the right thing to do is to “go solar,” the impetus will generate greater economies of scale that will move solar energy to parity with fossil fuel, and beyond. It will, hopefully eliminate the need for any governmental subsidies or initiatives to move it to the forefront of all other power options.

State and federal subsidies, along with tax incentives, rebates and net metering are currently pushing the United States, albeit slowly, toward a more wholehearted and robust adoption of solar energy. Giving a nudge to this initiative, several states, including Florida, California and Hawaii, have added their own incentives to further the effort.

Adoption of solar power has been slow. Cost, immediate availability, usability, and reliability of solar power equipment, coupled with adverse industrial and political pressure, have all impacted our acceptance of solar energy as a viable competitor to what we know works…fossil fuel energy.

Although slow to reach the front door of the orphanage for adoption, solar power seems to have all factors currently coalescing to say to the world, “Pick me. I’m the perfect choice for your adoption now. I will be the sunshine of your life.”

There is every indication that history will show…now is the time for solar power adoption.

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