Now That You Can
by Shelia Norling
The promise of solar power has been coming for years but has remained just out of reach for most of us. Now that’s all changing...and just in time.
It’s been 76 years since Thomas Edison told Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, “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."
Oil and coal may not have run out yet, but it’s getting too close for comfort.
According to the International Energy Agency, the world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered. And, according to the International Monetary Fund, 70% of the proven oil reserves are held by the Middle East and North African oil suppliers.
As Admiral Hyman Rickover strongly warned in his 1957 speech on the risks of being dependent on non-renewable resources, “Ultimately, the nations who control the largest energy resources will become dominate.”
As the global energy demand continues to increase (an estimated 59% over the next 25 years), and the cost of oil, gas, and coal continue to soar (U.S. electricity prices increased 10% over the last year), there is an increasing urgency in our need to upgrade our nation to solar power.
Until now, solar power has been too expensive and too complicated. The average consumer has been required to pay about $40,000 to upgrade their home to solar power. They were also responsible for installing it, maintaining the equipment, getting permits, and more. No wonder we don’t see more solar panels on the homes in our neighborhood.
But now we’re reaching a critical point where things have got to change. The summer heat waves we’ve been experiencing are expected to get much worse according to Met Office (global weather service) and droughts and wildfires will occur more often according to Scripps-UCSD.
There are many theories as to why our global weather is changing so dramatically, but it’s not rocket science to realize that the amount of pollutants we put in the atmosphere can’t be helping matters. One thing each of us can do is obtain our electricity from a clean, renewable source like solar power.
New net metering laws require that utility companies allow renewable energy to flow into the electricity grid and then allow the consumer to pull that same amount of energy back out.
These net metering laws were passed because residential energy production was the number one cause of pollution in the U.S. last year. Not all states have passed these laws yet but with enough demand from us they will.
One solar power company is taking full advantage of the opportunity presented by the net metering laws. This company is building the world’s largest solar power manufacturing plant and gearing up to install solar panels on 100,000 residential homes per year in addition to the commercial and industrial sector.
Finally, solar power is being made affordable for our homes. Not only is it affordable, you can spend less for clean electricity than you currently pay for dirty electricity and your rates won’t keep going up.
They even install, maintain, and service the equipment for no additional charge. When word of this gets out to the general public, there will be waiting lines to get your solar power system installed. Best to reserve your system early.
I encourage you to find out more and do what you can. Every single home upgraded to solar power makes a huge difference. Together we can create a better future for our children and ourselves.
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Shelia Norling is dedicated to cleaning up the air we breathe and restoring balance to our ecosystem. As founder of The Green Team, an environmental organization based in Texas, she’s educating people about affordable solar power for their home. Find out how you can pay less for clean electricity at www.UpgradeUSToSolar.com. Explore the possibilities of helping upgrade America to solar power at www.SucceedAndServe.com.
© Copyright 2007 Shelia Norling - This article may be reprinted without permission as long as the content and author bio remains unchanged.