Journey to the Sun with me
This is a fascinating trip and definitely worth your time! In this time of uncertainty regarding climate change, historic wildfires, relentless hurricanes, and devastating floods, we need to be more aware of our dangerous situation caused by weather.
By that, I mean, we have squandered our planet’s resources and hastened its demise to an uncertain future. It may be well beyond our imagination to even comprehend the challenges the future generations will face. But that is a discussion for another time.
You do not have to believe in climate change to understand the recent weather-related phenomena that have gripped our small part of the planet.
What I want to talk about today is our primary source of light and heat — The Sun!
The Sun is the single major source of energy in addition to the daylight we enjoy almost every single day. However, there is a lot more that we could utilize from this great source. It’s called renewable energy and available for use at an affordable price.
The history of the world, from the time man, began to design wheels, wagons, horse-drawn carriages, and then inventing engines for motor cars, we have certainly come a long way in terms of the evolution of transportation.
Despite that evolution, we have not stopped designing, inventing and constantly improving the age of the automobile. We are seeking better and more efficient methods to power the vehicles of tomorrow. Electric cars will eventually overtake the gas engine automobile industry. Electric powered airplanes are now being certified for commercial use.
What we have overlooked in our planet-based focus is the vast source of energy we have staring us in the face each day we awake to a new dawn.
The Dawn of a New Day
The global environment has been steadily eroded by our dependence on fossil fuels. It will soon be too late to make any changes that will alter or reverse the serious effects of climate change that we have brought upon ourselves.
And that was no mistake on the part of our ancestors. It was merely the innovative thinking at the time that brought us from the horse-drawn buggy to the age of the jet engine.
All is not lost, however. Renewable energy technology that has been expanding over the past fifty years is finally being acknowledged as the alternative to the reliance on fossil fuels.
While there are several different types of renewable energy, we have, for a very long time, overlooked the greatest source as yet untapped in a major effort worldwide.
Even though the Sun is 92 million miles from earth, it only takes 8 minutes for light (and therefore heat) to make the trip to provide energy to our planet. This abundant energy can be converted to deliver electrical power to our homes at a much less expensive rate than traditional electrical grids.
Folks, the age of Solar Energy is upon us, and we need to face the facts. The future of our planet is in jeopardy, and mainly from our actions. We need to take ownership to correct the errors of our misuse and abuse.
You only have to acknowledge the extreme weather we have experienced over the past decade and see for yourself how deadly the weather has affected our lives and livelihoods. We have lost countless lives, towns, and villages ravaged by floods and wildfires every year. Statistics inform us every year has been worse than the last and breaking records every hurricane and wildfire season.
I am writing a series of articles on Climate Change and initially on one major source of power — Solar Energy. It will be followed by articles based on other sources of renewable energy over the next few months.
I have been an avid proponent of renewable energy for well over 25 years and have come to regard myself as a proclaimed supporter of solar energy.
Keep an eye out for my next article on the value of Solar Energy for our homes and businesses!
Dave Rohee
Freelance Journalist & Solar Enthusiast
