Solar Panel Use Around The World
Even though the use of solar energy in the United States is
relatively new, people in other countries have been using solar
energy for a long time. Right now Germany is the biggest producer of
solar energy, followed closely by Australia.
Interest in solar power around the world increased during the Oil
Embargo of 1973 and the resulting oil crisis that dragged through
much of the 1970’s. During that time the countries that had the
richest deposits of oil in the Middle East refused to ship oil to
the United States, Western Europe, and any country that had
supported Israel. Faced with huge oil shortages and angry consumers
businesses quickly began developing solar energy technology that had
been abandoned when oil was cheap and plentiful.
Why have other countries adopted the use of solar energy so much
quicker than the United States? The simplest answer to that question
is cost. After the end of the Oil Embargo the United States
developed strong ties with the OPEC countries that led to a large
reduction in oil prices. For decades the United States has enjoyed
some of the cheapest fossil fuel prices of any developed nation
because of the existence of fossil fuel deposits like coal and
natural gas in the United States and good relationships with other
countries like OPEC that have huge natural supplies of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuel prices in the United States are rising and consumers are
shocked at how much they have to pay for gas and electricity that is
coming from fossil fuels but for many countries around the world the
costs that United States citizens pay is still much lower than the
cost of gas and electricity in their countries that must import 90%
or more of their fossil fuel products.
Now the focus is on solar energy around the world because the world is running
out of fossil fuels, and the environment is changing at an alarming rate due to
pollution from the use of fossil fuels and the destruction of the earth to get
fossil fuels. Scientists, politicians, and homeowners that want to live in an
environmentally responsible way while saving money on their energy costs are all
trying to find ways to make solar energy more practical and more affordable for
everyday citizens.
For homeowners around the world solar energy is quickly becoming a cheap
alternative to costly fossil fuel energy. Since the cost of living is increasing
fast homeowners need to find cheaper ways to power their homes. In addition,
being able to generate your own solar power gives homeowners greater
independence.