Humanity has always needed energy for work, and for much of history, this work came from animal and human labor. The Industrial Revolution introduced steam power, and in the late 1800s, electricity was harnessed as well. By the 20th century, fossil fuel power plants and then nuclear plants became the standard for providing electricity all over the world, and many of them are still in operation today. But fossil fuel power has come under scrutiny due to constant air pollution, and the “go green” initiative around the world calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. But no one can simply afford to lose power production, so something has to act as a substitute. Around the world, solar energy has proven itself to be that substitute, and solar panel installers are hard at work around the world setting up residential solar panels and huge solar arrays alike. What is solar energy capable of, and can solar energy satisfy all of humanity’s energy needs?

The Power of Solar Energy

It can be said with confidence that yes, solar energy is capable of meeting all of humanity’s power needs, given enough solar panels can be built. One of the advantages of solar power is that its source, the sun, is truly vast and is in no danger of being mined out. Coal seams and natural gas pockets can be mined dry, but the sun exists on a truly astronomical scale and puts out many times more energy than all of industrial civilization uses in any given day. What is more, the sun is set to shine for another five billion years, so for all intents and purposes, the sun is an infinite energy source. The only limiting factor is how many solar panels are built to collect all that solar energy.

Why use solar energy? As mentioned above, fossil fuels pollute a lot, and this is a cause for increasing concern around the world. By contrast, solar panels never create any byproducts during their work, not even the largest solar panel arrays. No gases, no liquids, no toxins, no radiation, no anything. This allows solar panels to meet today’s (and tomorrow’s) energy needs without damaging the natural environment, making them an appealing successor to, and replacement of, fossil fuel plants. Another benefit is that the production and development of clean energy like solar and wind farms spurs technology forward, and the design, construction, maintenance, and installation of solar panels and wind farms employs many Americans. More than ever, solar energy and wind farms are supporting the American economy, even more than fossil fuels are.

Install Those Panels

Many solar panel companies can be found across the United States today, whose employees are always ready and willing to install new solar panels anywhere. Another advantage to solar power is that these panels can be arranged in any scale necessary for a job, and on the smallest scale, a few panels can be installed on a residential house’s roof. Crews will be hired to set up the brackets and the actual panels, not to mention the wiring to connect everything. Once the site is inspected and approved, the panels switch on and the house is disconnected from the power grid. These panels may also charge up some backup batteries, which can be used at night when the homeowner needs more power. In this way, solar panels have no blind spots.

On a slightly larger scale, these panels can also be installed on the roof of commercial buildings to power an office, for example. And that is not all. On the largest possible scale, hundreds or even thousands of panels can be set up in a massive array to collect power on an industrial scale. Most often, these arrays are found out in the wilderness where they won’t get in anyone’s way, and they can collect enough power for entire city blocks or neighborhoods at a time. Sunny, large states such as Texas and California have many such arrays, where open land, strong sunlight, and minimal cloud cover make for ideal conditions to collect energy on this sort of scale. In sunny states like these, residents are even more likely to get residential solar panels on their roofs.