Solar energy, harnessed through energy-receiving cells, called photovoltaic cells, can save citizens an abundance of money every year. Though it may be slightly costly to install solar panels initially, the money saved will pay back what consumers had paid and much more in no time. Another money-saver is that solar energy systems rarely need maintenance. Appliances used currently constantly need to be fixed or replaced, costing more than the common person cares to think about. Solar energy can be used in various situations including the following: to heat water, food, and homes without relying on gas or wood. Also, it could replace the electricity needed to power lights in a person's home. In addition, small photovoltaic cells can be potentially and, in some cases, are already, put on anything, such as watches, calculators, or even cell phones. It would be entirely convenient to be able to walk around and have your phone charging purely by the energy from the sun. It can also be used as fuel for cars. This is particularly beneficial because consumers will no longer have to worry about the ever-increasing prices of petroleum fuel because the sun's energy is free. Skeptics often raise the question, "How will the consumers be able to use solar energy at night or other times of darkness, such as when it is cloudy outside?" This question can be easily answered; photovoltaic cells are unique by the fact that they have the ability to collect energy from the sun and store it, then that energy can be used when the sun is not out.
Current energy methods have damaging effects on the environment, which ultimately affects our pockets. For example, in 1989, an Oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez, got too close and hit the bank in Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing over eleven-million gallons of crude oil to be spilled into the ocean. This not only devastated the area's wildlife, but also cost an estimated 2.1 billion dollars to clean up. If an alternate form of energy was used and there was no need for crude oil for gas, this tragic accident would have been avoided. With the use of solar energy, a horrible event, like the Exxon Valdez oil spill would never happen.
The implement of solar panels can also be economically beneficial because installing them takes man-power. This means that jobs will be created, which would therefore reduce unemployment in the United States. In the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt played a major role in creating jobs for people who drastically needed them as a result of the depression. Many of the programs he pushed for congress to pass bills for included creating jobs that benefitted both the citizens personally and the United States as a whole, such as creating dams. It seems only fitting that now, in 2009, when the economy is severely hurting once more, the same steps should be taken. Having a job installing the solar panels in the homes of millions of Americans not only helps the previously unemployed workers, but the United States as a whole as well.
In conclusion, it is of upmost importance for the United States to progress into using renewable energy before it is too late and all of the resources in which we are dependent on are used up. We should take to heart the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, "I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making." Sure using nonrenewable resources was extremely important when it was all we knew how to harness, but like the times, we, as a nation, need to change. Using solar energy would be beneficial in our economically challenging times. The sun provides us with its endless energy, so let us make the most of it!
Lexy Townsend
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