September 16, 2015
Dr. David Borton
Physics Department
Solar Energy
Social Value
Solar
energy can be used to produce food, heat, electricity and clothing. Solar
energy is a safe and efficient alternative to fossil fuels and helps eliminate
the issue of pollution. Solar energy can be used to filter thousands of gallons
of water for the community.
Government and Economics
The
economy and the environment go hand in hand in that funds are provided by the
government for some major projects concerning the well-being [D1] of the community. The water filtration system used in
Saudi Arabia, complete with solar panels, cost millions of dollars provided by
the Saudi government. In the US, the federal or state government often offer
tax breaks or incentives to businesses or residences that install solar technology.
Jobs
are being created to install these solar panels, contributing to the economy.
Externalities
are large indirect effects that have an impact on people beyond those involved
in the transaction. For example, if someone buys electricity from a coal plant,
there is an externality in the pollution emitted. People not necessarily buying or selling the
coal are affected by having lower quality air, which contribute to various
illnesses and diseases.
Farming
equipment and chemicals use a lot of fossil
fuel. Since farming is at the source of food production, we find it may take as
many as 10 calories of fossil fuel to create one calorie of fuel.
The Bigger Picture
There
are about 400
Quad sof energy being used by the whole world [every year. If more and more of this can be converted
to solar energy, there will be a large impact on the way we run our society.
Fossil fuels will go unused if solar energy becomes our main source of power. Society
and the environment will become [D3] , safer and cleaner. [D4] Solar roads are being worked on and solar houses are
being built. The effects of solar energy on everyday life will be monumental.
Terms
Quad-
1,000,000,000,000,000 units
Externalities-
the economic effect on an unrelated party
Calories-The
amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one
degree Celsius; which is different from a calorie (small c) – the amount of
heat required to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius. A food Calorie (capital C) is really a
kilocalorie (small c).
Take-Away Concepts
- · 10 calories of fossil fuel are used to make 1 calorie of food
- · 1000 gallons of water/ day used by the average American
- · Humans are solar powered- energy from the sun to our food
- · Oil is peaking and the climate is changing
- · Government, Economy, Environment all go hand in hand
- · Each American uses the equivalent of 300 full time energy slaves every year. Each energy slave is about a million BTU. If we paid a slave his/her worth in coal, oil, or wood, the person would be making a pittance.
- · Energy positive houses produce more energy than they use
- · Solar energy is the most sustainable energy source
- · It is important to know the metric prefixes and colloquial equivalents (thousands, millions, billions, trillions, quadrillions), for 10 to the 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 powers and the similar negative powers
- · It’s important to be able to round numbers
Consume
less, Conserve more, Use solar energy
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