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SOLAR POWER.   Term Paper ID:16583 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Pros & cons. Energy consumption, environmental issues, costs, compared to other sources, technology, applications, outlook.... More...

5 Pages / 1125 Words 20 sources, 21 Citations, MLA Format $20.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Pros & cons. Energy consumption, environmental issues, costs, compared to other sources, technology, applications, outlook. Paper Introduction: This paper will discuss the pros and cons of solar power. Solar power will be discussed in depth in the perspective of the overall worldwide energy and environmental situation. The subject of solar power will be brought up to date by the inclusion of articles written within the past year. Energy consumption may shift from source to source over time. For example, the United States went from a nation generating most of its heat energy from wood in the nineteenth century to a nation utilizing coal energy in the early twentieth century. Then, the majority of energy consumption shifted to oil in the mid-twentieth century, in part because of the prominence of the internal combustion engine (MacKenzie 1-30). The 1980s are a time when environmental awareness has combined with the search for fossil fuel alternatives (U.S. Dept. of Energy, 1981). Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Mitchell. Solar users would have the advantage of analternative system in case of power brownouts and failures of theconventional electrical grid (Goddy). Solar energy will eventually be needed because the rate of use ofoil, the main fuel of the industrial world, is greater than the rate atwhich oil reserves are being replaced. 1988: 66.Best, D. Solar collectors may also supply the light needed forphotosynthesis in garden modules attached to space stations (Anon). In this way, theamount of solar energy entering a building is regulated to control heatingand cooling in a way that provides optimum ambient temperatures (Editors). energy needs is pollutionand acid rain (Haddad). Trumanforecast a market for 13 million solar heated houses by 1975. "A History of Energy." The Energy Book. For example, varying glazings on glass used for windowsdetermines the amount of solar energy entering houses. Thus, alternatives like solar aredesirable. Among the recent interesting and innovative uses of solar power aresolar-powered refrigerators, which are to be used by Third World reliefworkers for storing medical supplies and vaccines. San Francisco: Boyd & Fraser, 198 .Hecht, J. "Lights in The Darkness." New Scientist 1 Mar. Dept. 1988: 49-58.Klueh, R. Vermont: Stephen Green P, 198 .U.S. Thisamounts to 4 times the capital cost of producing onshore oil in the MiddleEast, $2 , per barrel for offshore oil versus only $5 for onshore oilfrom the Middle East (Ellers). Much of the 15 million barrels per day of oil consumed by the UnitedStates comes from the politically unstable Middle East. Energy consumption may shift from source to source over time. However, the majordrawback of solar cells has been lack of cost effectiveness. Offshore wells in the Beaufort Sea costfrom $4 to $5 million per well, versus $1.5 to $3. The solar cell energy needed to drop toat least $3 per watt to be competitive in the energy marketplace (Cusack).However, solar may be competitive with other energy sources and cost only$1-3 per peak watt by 1995. A local band uses the power for a disco with electronic musicand colored lights. New York: Pantheon, 198 .Weeks, W. World Energy Strategies. Solar cells are favored for power generation because they pose littlehealth hazard and do not pollute the environment. "Powered By Sunlight, Alien Autos Test Themselves For 1,95 Miles." Smithsonian Feb. Studies Options to Control Acid Rain." Investor's Daily 3 Apr. OneNorth Sea platform, the Statford B, is 89 feet in height with a totaldisplacement of 899, tons (the heaviest object ever produced by man),and will cost $1.8 billion and take 11, man-years to construct. It may be some time beforeeconomical and safer nuclear options are available, and even then thenuclear waste issue must still be dealt with (Klueh). S. In Kenya, somevillages have solar lighting as a result of U.S. of Energy, 1981). in the year 2 2 .Solar is competitive with low grade industrial steam for heating andcooling, but the cost of solar systems has been higher than fossil fuelsystems (Bregman). Isaac Asimov (1988) predicts that huge banks of solar cells will fuelcolonies on the moon. Nuclear power is undesirable both because of theescalating costs of new plants and safety problems that were highlighted bythe Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Forexample, the United States went from a nation generating most of its heatenergy from wood in the nineteenth century to a nation utilizing coalenergy in the early twentieth century. Solarpower will be discussed in depth in the perspective of the overallworldwide energy and environmental situation. Kranzberg et al. The198 s are a time when environmental awareness has combined with the searchfor fossil fuel alternatives (U.S. However, the high energyprices of the 197 s gave solar a resurgence that was evident in a period ofresearch and development advances in solar technology. In 198 , a kilowatt of coal or nuclear energy cost about 2 1/2 cents,while it cost 31 cents to produce a kilowatt of solar energy. In 1988, solar cells are still seen as a promising alternative topossible future oil shortages similar to those brought about by theOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the 197 s. Solar energy may provide the energy for agricultureand mining (Asimov). Elimination of tax credits for solarcells coupled with a collapse in oil prices in recent years have slowedinvestments in solar technologies. The refrigerators relyon activated charcoal and methanol for heat absorption (Hecht). "Industry Hides From The Sun." in Engler, R. B. While the energy is free, the cost of the solar cellsand storage batteries would not be affordable without outside help (deGroot). The car, however, hasthe same drawback of all solar power applications, without light there maynot be enough energy stored to provide continued operation (Jordan). "U.S. The potential of solar has not yet been fulfilled. This paper will discuss the pros and cons of solar power. Nonetheless,advances in thin film technology are making the day of mass production ofsheets of photovoltaic material seem closer. "Our Energy Options From Fossils to Fusion." Scholastic Update l Feb. United States petroleum reservespeaked back in the 197 s at 47 billion barrels, and declined by 1 billionbarrels in the early 198 s despite the discovery of 1 billion barrels inPrudhoe Bay, Alaska (Hayes). Solar cell production in the U.S. and British workersinstalling solar panels on poles that are rotated to track the sun. 1986: 41-5.Lovins, A. The majorremaining source of new oil in United States territory is Alaska, which hasbetween 16 billion and 6 billion recoverable barrels of oil. As early as 1952,the Materials Policy Commission set up by President Harry S. Then, the majority of energyconsumption shifted to oil in the mid-twentieth century, in part because ofthe prominence of the internal combustion engine (MacKenzie 1-3 ). of Energy. Theprojection was not met because the price of oil and natural heating was solow, it made solar economically uncompetitive. 1982: 38-49.Goddy, D. F. "Energy Resources Available to the U.S., 1985-2 ." Energy and The Way We Live. M. Innovations in technology have been steadily lowering the cost ofsolar energy, as of 1985, the $1 per watt cost of energy produced fromsolar cells was not competitive. "Solar Energy Comes of Age." Environment June 1978: 25-31.Cusack, M. Indeed, major oil companies such as ARCO have bankrolled solarpower companies, to be positioned to make the eventual energy transitionfrom oil to solar (Editorial). "Advanced Offshore Oil Platforms." Scientific American Apr. For example, General Motors has builta solar car that may become the prototype of a non-polluting vehicle thatcould be used by urban commuters. "Future Nuclear Reactors - Safety First." New Scientist 3 Apr. Power is also used to provide four hours of televisioneach night. 1985: 19.Haddad, C. fellin 1986 after having risen to 8.1 megawatts in 1983. Theenvironmental pollution problems associated with fossil fuels like coal andoil and nuclear power have led some to say that the next major energysource will be alternative energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal(Lovins). The problem with using coal to meet U.S. "Sun Drives Cool Compartments For Third World." New Scientist 1 Dec 1987: 3 .Jordan, W. More mundane uses of solar energy are already making themselves feltin the home. J. ed. For remote users, who faceprohibitive costs in hooking up to an electrical utility grid, solar cellsare becoming accepted. New York: Harper & Row, 198 .Mackenzie, J. A major useof solar cells is in the space program to power satellites. New uses forsolar are constantly being explored. The Council on Environmental Quality estimated that solar can provide25 percent of the 18 quads of energy needed by the U.S. Solarcells (photovoltaics) have been known since the 195 s, and convert sunlightdirectly into electrical current via semiconductor materials. Energy Technologies and The Environment. Germantown, MD: Aerospace Corp., 198 .Wasserman, H. "Solar Energy By 1995, An Affordable Choice." Scholastic Update l Feb. However, thehope for solar cells is that technological innovations and mass productionwill at some point in time make solar cells competitive with other forms ofpower. However,this Alaskan oil, mostly locked below ice in the Arctic, is very difficultand expensive to find and produce. Japan has alsosurpassed the United States in solar cell production. 1987: 1,32.Hayes, E. 1988: 74.Editorial. "Commercial Hunt For The Sun." Ecology Digest 198 : 33-5.Editors. H. Eds. Low prices for oil and other forms of energy seem to be the biggestbarrier to widespread implementation of solar energy. 1987: 1 9.Asimov, I. "Gardening in Space." Popular Mechanics Sept. T. 1987: 31- 9.Ellers, F. "Solar Cells: Still a Tough Sell." Sierra 1988: 27-29.Bregman, S.E. Projectionsfor a $1 billion solar cell industry producing 3 , megawatts by theyear 2 have not been on target. Works CitedAnon. million in the Gulfof Mexico offshore well costs (Weeks & Weller). Dept. & Weller, G. Hanley and J. These design requirements make for costly platforms. America's Energy. Eds. "How We'll Live On The Moon." Popular Mechanics Mar. The subject of solar powerwill be brought up to date by the inclusion of articles written within thepast year. "Offshore Oil in The Alaskan Arctic." Science 27 July 1984: 371-8.----------------------- 7 "High Performance Windows." Practical Homeowner Oct. Solarpower can improve the quality of life for the third world. Thepower is stored in batteries for later use at night, and lights classroomsat a local school. Common solar cell uses are for pumping water,microwave transmission, navigational aids and village electrification.Consumer items such as battery chargers, calculators and yard lights areincreasingly using solar cells (Best). The solar car recently was testedsuccessfully in a 1,95 mile challenge in Australia. However, evenfavorable payback periods for solar technology did not generate the demandexpected by solar energy proponents (Wasserman). The technology ofconcentrators for focusing sunlight on small areas is also improving.Solar cell prices are falling, having dropped from $7 per watt in 1984 to$5 per watt in 1987, though the 5 cents per watt that the industry needsto be competitive is still far away. 1985: 4-6.de Groot, P. Oil production platformsin other production areas like the North Sea are also very high becausethey must be designed to withstand adverse environmental conditions like1 foot waves. W. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.