Introduction
The efforts made in solar energy around the globe are essential in planting (no pun intended) the future of not only humanity, but the earth as we know it. Burning fossil fuels runs rampant around the world whilst simultaneously, for lack of a better word, killing our world. The adverse effects of burning fossil fuels can be seen around the globe; climate change and global warming are not myths. When the vast majority of scientists back the stance that climate change exists with factual information, it is safe to assume that this is simply not correlational data, but causation. Climate change has impacted the world drastically: as glaciers melt sea levels begin rising, thus making peoples homes and their ancestor’s homes uninhabitable. We forget, in Western society due to the lack of impact the majority of predicaments has on us, that people are suffering due to our inefficient use of energy. Wake up. We have been left desensitized to the concept that “peoples homes and their ancestors homes are uninhabitable”: whilst animals go extinct, cultures will diminish with them, and as heat waves and natural disasters increase and innocent lives are lost we will be the ones to blame, due to our lack of awareness, and our complete and utter ignorance. The problem that resides in humanity is that we avert our eyes until the predicament impacts us, yet we cannot act like mere savages as our fellow members of humanity deal with the adverse effects of burning fossils whilst we stand on the sidelines. Solar energy is a feasible solution: an alternative source of energy that is renewable and “clean”. Recently it has made a breakthrough globally, due to both its abundance considering it roots are the sun, and the green factor which is marked by innovation.
Germany
To begin lets speak of German efforts made to increase solar power usage within their nation. Germany utilizes solar power to its fullest extent in respect to other countries within the world. According to Solar Energy Industries Association “Germany has 35 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity and is on track to hit 52 GW in the near future”. This isn’t the main premise that must be reaped from this statement: “By and large, the German path has been remarkably successful, given the goal – shared by a great majority of the population – of ‘de-fossilizing’ Germany’s electricity sector” (Solar Energy Industries Association). Lets analyze what the impending situation in Germany is predicted to be. Solar power energy is working for Germany. The aspect that vast amount of people have against solar power, globally, is the cost; however, Germany has found a way to combat that. As they increase the usage of renewable power generation the prices of existing fossil generators increases, which creates an incentive to go for the solar energy and other renewable energy sources. The current reform in Germany is to create a closer knit relationship between renewable energy, and electricity market thus making it more of an attainable and common entity that can be available to the general public at a price that appeases the general public whilst creates a profit for the corporations (Solar Energy Industries Association). Germany has exemplified the win win situation, and the rest of the world must follow.
Evolution of renewable energy as a share of total electricity production in Germany Graph (Solar Energy Industries Association)
Italy
Now we can’t just focus on the positive aspects to solar power energy, because we have places like Italy who are contradicting that notion itself. “Italian officials have revealed details of draft proposals for Italy’s latest renewable energy law, the fifth Conto Energia, which will see support reduced and regulation increased for the country’s renewable energy sector” (Renewableenergyfocus.com). This seems so backwards doesn’t it? The concept of regulating something so innovative, and an entity that would help reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, thus a technology that could potentially save this planet from killing itself through the inhabitants that reside within it; however, the Italian’s government logic is that they need to “’balance’ renewable energy growth in the country” (Renewableenergyfocus.org). We need to realize why this is happening as an entity. The one downside where you will find across countries is the cost of solar energy. These chunky panels, and this innovative technology is not cheap. Italy simply “has suffered in the eurozone’s economic crisis, and the incoming government has been keen to impose austerity measures on all aspects of public spending, in an effort to curb Italy’s sovereign debt (Renewableenergyfocus.com). This is where reform must happen. In the field of economics, and the monetary value of these panels.
Pakistan
Adding on to the concept of monetary value, and due to it the lack of solar panels let us delve into the realm of a place with a blazing sun, yet a third world country as we know it: Pakistan. As seen in this video, solar power would be an efficient way of reducing the power outages and a solution for the general public; however, the government has imposed 30% on taxes, thus making the general public lacking electricity, bombarded with power outages, and for some this is fatal considering the dry and hot conditions within Pakistan (BBC). The ignorance is within the concept that individuals suggest that the average Pakistani citizen should just pay the difference in order to get solar power energy, but the predicament within that in itself is that poverty runs rampant within Pakistan, thus leaving the general public hopeless.
Across borders, there needs to be a solution to combat the cost aspect of solar panels, in order to make it available to the general public across the world, even if they are in poverty.
LINKS:
http://www.seia.org/research-resources/solar-energy-support-germany-closer-look