Running head: THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

The Sun Rises for Everyone

Solar Power as a Solution for a Sustainable Future.
Marilia Cisotto de Lima
City College of New York

ES101B
Amanda Meier
March 22, 2016

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Abstract
After the Industrial Revolution, the human being started an intense exploitation of fossil
fuels to produce the energy they needed. This type of energy is finite and causes environment
problems. With the intention of curbing these damages, the use of alternatives sources,
considered renewable, increased. However, fossil fuels still the most used type of energy source.
Compared to other types of renewable energies the suns energy has more potential and is
considered clean, because it doesnt produce residues, although, there are a few drawbacks that
should be overcome to achieve the desired goal. With focus and dedication, the US has all the
keys to its energy independence and to contribute to a more sustainable future by using solar
power.
Keywords: solar power, energy, sustainability, future.

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Introduction.
Access to clean, affordable, and reliable energy has been a cornerstone of the worlds
increasing prosperity and economic growth since the beginning of the industrial revolution (Chu
& Majumdar, 2012). Although, in order to prosper and grow, do we need to destroy our planet?
It is known that global warming is affecting peoples lives around the world. Burning fossil fuels
to generate energy is one of the principal sources of greenhouse gasses emission that causes
global warming; it also contributes polluting the environment. One day the exploitation of fossil
fuels will come to an end because it is a scarce resource. Nevertheless, fossil fuels still the most
used type of energy by the US.
Figure 1 (US EIA, 2015)

Using renewable energy should not be an alternative; it should be the foremost method of
producing energy. The green slice showed in Figure 1 represents the consumption of renewable
energies, but not all of them can be considered clean or sustainable. Some of them produce some
kind of residue or cause some impact on the environment. That is when the solar power comes
in. Did you know that the sun produces around 8.000 more energy than the global usage

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

(Blankenship et al, 2011)? It is the most powerful source of renewable energy available on Earth,
and in spite of being unlimited, it is considered clean and sustainable. However, according to
Figure 1, solar power stills the second less used type of energy by the US. Therefore, recognizing
its potential, the US government should concentrate on developing, improving, and making solar
accessible to everyone for a more sustainable future.
Why go solar?
Besides its importance for life on Earth, sunlight is free and infinite. Solar systems dont
generate pollution (residues or gasses) and dont cause environment impacts. That is why they
are considered sustainable or eco-friendly. If installed properly, they dont make noise, they are
easy to operate, and rarely need maintenance. The companies that sell solar panels usually give
20-25 years of guarantee (Maehlum, 2013).
When people go solar, they can increase the value of their property and it is a secure
investment. With the right data, people can calculate how much energy they will be producing
and find out when they can get their money back. It is also a notable opportunity to save
thousands of dollars producing their own clean energy instead of buying from the grid.
Solar power can bring other benefits too. It can help facilities to avoid blackouts and
substitute big, heavy, noisy, and polluting generators that mostly use fossil fuels. If properly
exploited, it can bring energy independence to the US that now depends on importation of fossil
fuels from other countries. It will also generate and increase job opportunities all over the
country.
Solar energy represents the largest renewable resource base in the Unites States, with a
technical potential that greatly exceeds the total demand for electricity. The decreasing cost of

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

solar technologies makes it possible to envision them as future major sources of U.S. electricity
(Denholm et al, 2013).
Solar utilities and devices.
Besides the governments facilities, solar power is already being used in houses,
business, and industries to heat water for showers and swimming pools, heating the ambiance,
and even on industrial procedures. You can also find solar panels on satellites, charger devices,
and street lighting. This type of energy can provide a giant growth to farms and rural
communities. Sometimes they dont have access to electricity, and the implementation of solar
devices could bring them a range of opportunities such as more productive time, better lighting,
better health facilities and economic independence.
Solar power can be used in two different ways: passive or active. In the first one, sunlight
is harnessed through architectural solutions (materials, control of sunlight incidence, etc.) to
control temperature and light buildings in a natural way. In the second one, there are some
devices or systems that capture sunlight and transform it into two types of energy: heat and
electricity.
Figure 2 Solar systems
Heating (solar panels)

CSP (solar farms)

PV (photovoltaic panels)

Solar heating panels or thermal panels use sunlight to generate heat. The sunlight is
captured and heats the tubes fluid inside the panels. This device has to have a surface with high

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

absorption to maximize the energy captured and be isolated in order to reduce heat losses by
convection. After heated the fluid circulate in a closed circle and transfer the heat to the water in
the tanks.
CSP, concentrated solar power, or solar farms are facilities created to generate electricity.
In this system, many reflecting surfaces or mirrors focus sunlight in a specific point to heat water
or a heat-transferring fluid such as molten salt to generate steam. The steam activates the turbines
and the electricity generators. These facilities also have a system to store the heat and active the
turbines, to produce energy, even during the night.
PV, photovoltaic panels, or solar cells convert sunlight into electricity. Most photovoltaic
cells are made of a semiconductor material (primarily silicon) arranged in layers and placed next
to each other generating an electric field inside the panels. Direct current is converted by a power
inverter into alternating current, which is the form in which electric power is delivered through
the electric grid.
Drawbacks
What is holding solar power full progress has everything to do with cost. Despite its
potential and the decreasing cost over the years, solar power still has several disadvantages that
must be overcome in order to become the main source of generating energy by the US and the
world.
Solar panels utilize expensive semiconductor materials and those materials industries are
also expensive to build and maintain. There are already some materials cheaper than silicon;
Thin films solar cells, for example, are more flexible, lighter, and cheaper than silicon panels,
however, they are less efficient. The efficiency of a solar panel determines how much of sunlight
power is usable. Crystalline silicon solar panels have 23% efficiency and are the most

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

manufactured type of panels nowadays. The problem is the more efficient, the more expensive
the panel is. The challenge is to discover new materials and develop new production techniques
to curb these costs without losing efficiency.
Another problem is that energy production only takes place when the sun is shining.
Storage batteries can be expensive, contain toxic materials and wear out quickly due to repeated

charge and discharge cycles. Durable and inexpensive batteries for energy storage need to be
developed to provide a constant and reliable source of electricity.
New and expensive transmission lines are needed to bring electricity to distant markets.
CSP facilities are usually built in deserts where sunlight incidence is higher and costs of
implementation are lower. However, these large and inexpensive lands are located far from cities
where power is needed.
Conclusion
Eighty per cent penetration of renewable energy in the United States is possible by
2050, but to achieve even half of this goal, a transformation of the electricity system on the basis
of technology advances and new operating procedures, business models and regulatory
approaches is required (Chu & Majumdar, 2012).
Figure 3 Investment in renewable energy (US Department of Energy, 2010).

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Figure 4 (NRDC)

A sustainable future, based on renewable energies, is possible and is not that far.
According to Figure 3 and Denholm, solar power has been the main source of the US
investments since 2007. Figure 4 shows how many facilities the US already have and prove that
the government still investing for the growth of solar power facilities. However, the government
and the private sector must also stimulate invention and innovation to overcome overall system
costs previously mentioned, and finally make those systems affordable on a global scale.
Solar technologies have it all to be the future major source of the US electricity, but Chu
and Majumdar also explained that is extremely important to consider more than one type of
renewable energies working together as an integrated system to provide reliable electricity. With
the cost of clean energy becoming competitive and with the right engagement, the results can
only be positive and will power economic growth, increase energy security, create job
opportunities, and also curb environment problems such as the carbon emissions. So the answer
is no: In order to prosper and grow, we dont need to destroy our planet.
Id put my money on the sun and solar energy (Tomas Edison).

THE SUN AS A SOLUTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

References
Blankenship, R.E. et al. (2013, May 13). Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies
and recognizing the potential for improvement. Science Magazine, 332, 805-809.
Retrieved from: www.sciencemag.org
Chu, S. & Majumdar, A. (2012, August 16). Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable
energy future. Nature, 488, 294-303. Retrieved from: www.nature.com
Denholm, P., Margolis, R., Mai, T., Brinkman, G., Drury, E., Hand, M., & Mowers, M. (2013,
March/April). Bright future: Solar power as a major contributor to the U.S. grid. IEEE
power & energy magazine, 22-32. Retrieved from:
www.ieeexplore.ieee.org
Maehlum, M.A. (2013, June 7). Solar panel warranty comparison. Energy Informative. Retrieved
from: www.energyinformative.org
Renewable energy for America. NRDC Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from:
www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/
US Energy Information Administration. (2015). Monthly Energy Review, table 1.3 and 10.1.