Our Voice: It’s time to harness the power of the sun
Solar panel technology needs a bigger push to help wean humans off fossil fuels and reduce environmental pollution. Nearly all of the planet’s needs could be supplied with solar panels if they were more efficient. Solar panels can be placed on roofs of houses, stadiums, office buildings and even cars. The Toyota Prius has a solar panel on the roof to help power the air conditioning when the car is on. If the panel were more efficient, it could power the car itself.
Numerous electric cars are now in production and gaining praise. The Chevrolet Volt won the North American Car of the Year. But electric cars have their limits. Many owners claim that electric cars don’t last as long on a charge as the manufacturers claim. The electricity, which charges the cars and powers American homes, mostly comes from coal burning power plants. These plants create pollution and consumers depend on the expansive and complicated power grid for electricity.
If each home had its own solar panel people would not be subjected to power outages or surges in storms or outages from strains on the system during high-use periods. Solar panels are also only a one-time expense for the life of the panel. Consumers would be able to save money by not having to pay for electricity on a monthly basis. Now before you yell at the paper that solar panels only work when it is sunny, scientists have created a new cell that can harness energy 24 hours a day.
The scientists created a ‘stellar’ energy cell instead of a ‘solar’ cell and claim that the cell can harness energy from stars and from the sun in cloudy conditions. The cells are also claimed to be 90 percent efficient, meaning that the panel can transform 90 percent of the energy it absorbs into useable power.
Solar panels have also been implemented in an experimental plane that completed a 24-hour flight powered only by solar panels and the power it had on reserve saved from hours of daylight. Fuel costs are a major factor of the price of air travel and they could be all but eliminated with solar power.
More efficient solar panels can provide continuous power without the need for a power grid or batteries in many cases. Hybrid and electric cars now contain large batteries to power the car but batteries cause a problem of their own. The mining of metals needed for batteries can cause ecological damage as harmful levels of lead, zinc, arsenic, cadmium and lithium can end up in groundwater, surface water and air.
Solar panels have the potential to provide portable power to nearly everyone including countries that have no power grid or infrastructure. Solar panels can provide a better future for the planet.
Posted by 
