Solar Energy In The United States Of America Research Paper Example

In the current era, different alternative sources of energy initiated by strategists so that people can cope with the shortfall of energy. Solar energy is one of its kinds and different countries manage this resource in the modernized world. Solar energy refers to the power harnessed from the sun through a variety of technologies including photovoltaic, heat, thermal energy, and photosynthesis. Solar power or solar energy is one of the primary sources of alternative or renewable energy in the modern world. Many countries are adopting methods for producing alternative energy sources to reduce carbon emissions and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. In order to enhance the advent of green environment numerous countries opt for this strategy as this strategy benefits the environment in the longer-run. The policy of the United States government also encompasses an effort to replace conventional energy sources with alternative or renewable energy sources. The United States is one of the leading countries with respect to research in photovoltaic and solar energy technologies. Solar power is one of the most abundant forms of renewable energy and provides an effective alternative to fossil fuel energy. This would support the utilization of other resources and balances out their utilization. Solar power can enable countries like the United States to reduce the global carbon footprint by a significant margin. This paper analyzes the effective utilization of solar power in the United States in the context of the following thesis statement.
Thesis Statement: Solar power is one of the most abundant forms of renewable energy, and the United States utilizes the energy source in an effective manner.
Solar energy or solar power refers to the energy derived from the heat and light of the sun through a variety of technologies. Some of the most prominent technologies for producing solar power include solar panels, photovoltaic, and artificial photosynthesis. Solar power comprises two primary forms of energy including active solar energy and passive solar energy categorized by the method of energy production. The method for harnessing and distributing solar energy classifies the method as passive solar energy or active solar energy. Passive solar energy methods utilize the inert forms of energy saving and utilization through building design, air circulation, and light reflection or dispersion. On the other hand, active solar energy techniques harness the heat and light from the sun through solar panels, heating systems, and photovoltaic mechanisms. Solar power or solar energy primarily refers to the active methods of solar energy production based on photovoltaic systems or solar panels. Several countries including the United States utilize a variety of active solar energy methods to generate solar power. The United States believes in this ideology that through this resource they can capitalize and reduce the burden on other sources of energy. Besides that, this would benefit the environment in a proactive manner.
Solar energy or solar power in the United States refers to the large-scale power plants designed and implemented to generate and distribute electricity. Renewable energy accounts for more than 13% of the total energy production in the United States. Solar energy comprises the largest portion of the renewable energy industry in the United States with more than 143,000 employees. The United States utilizes photovoltaic systems to generate and distribute solar energy throughout the country. The cumulative photovoltaic energy capacity of the United States was 16.1 gig watts in 2014 with continuous additions of solar panels to the national grid. Solar energy is one of the most important sources of alternative energy for the United States due to the rapid pace of development. The United States owns some of the largest photovoltaic power stations in the world with generating capacities of 200-550 MW. The United States also launched the largest solar plant in the world in the California Desert in 2015. All these resources directly contribute in the developmental abilities of United States and United States benefits a lot from this resource. The First Solar Company developed and built the Desert Sunlight Project in Desert Center, California with a capacity of 550 MW. Different strategists believe that this resource contribute a lot in the development and modernization of United States. Several household energy needs are fulfilled through solar energy in the current era.
The government of the United States has a rigorous policy regarding the production and utilization of alternative energy sources. The installation and presence of some of the largest solar plants indicate the dedication of the government and the effective utilization of solar energy. The government and different social service organizations stresses a lot on this resource as they believe that in order to excel in the upcoming years this is one of the most important strategy of development. The Southwestern region of the United States is one of the leading producers of solar energy in the world. The most prominent producers of solar energy in the United States include California, Nevada, and Arizona. The SEGS 354-megawatt thermal power plant in California is one the first large-scale power plants in the world. The federal and state governments in the U.S. have specific goals for renewable energy production primarily based on solar energy potential in the country. Many states including California and Arizona gradually increased solar energy production in the past few years through utility-scale power plants. Many states also plan to incorporate solar energy into the renewable energy objectives through installation of photovoltaic plants. Several large-scale solar plants are already under construction throughout the U.S. that will lead to a significant increase in solar wattage. The United States government wants to enhance this perspective so that they can sell their projects to other nations too and increase their revenues.
The increasing demand for renewable energy sources due to the depletion of fossil fuels catalyzed the development of solar energy methods. The Southwestern region of the United States exhibited considerable potential primarily due to vast vacant spaces including deserts. They utilized the desserts and other empty spaces of land to give long-term benefits to the people of United States. The development of cost-effective photovoltaic methods and availability of space fueled the solar energy industry in the United States. The solar energy revolution started in 2008 with the initiation of several solar energy projects throughout the United States. Several manufacturers started manufacturing solar cells and modules due to the incentives provided by the U.S. government. The mass production of solar cells and modules decreased the costs for developing and installing large-scale solar farms based on photovoltaic technology. The initiatives of several state governments to increase dependence on renewable energy sources motivated several companies to invest in the solar power industry. California is the largest state with respect to solar energy production due to the presence of the largest solar power projects. Two of the largest utility-scale solar plants in the United States include the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm and Topaz projects. The Desert Sunlight in California has a capacity of 550 MW and can provide electricity to more than 160,000 households. The Topaz project based in California also has a capacity of 550 MW with photovoltaic production method.
United States of America in the current era stresses a lot on the development of solar energy but they are short in the development of solar panels that are essential for the development of solar energy. Most of the solar panel producers shifted towards Southeast Asia so that they can attain cost effectiveness. A viable solar panel manufacturer Sharp solar panel claimed that they would limit their operations in the United States. Most of the manufacturing manages in different parts of China mainly because of low cost of production. The clients enhance in the United States with the advent of time but they organizations feel that they need to find a local resource to buy panels so that they can manage their operations in a proactive manner. The cost advantage and lower labor cost for the United States is an eroding aspect that would negatively affect the production facilities of United States. The producers believe that they at times experience losses mainly because of the fact that their revenues are low as compared to organizations that have their back officers in China and other regions of the world. The United States government should play a proactive role in this scenario and the government behaved aggressively by responding to the complaints of numerous organizations based in the United States. Different strategists believe that the government wants to add tariff on this scenario because of the fact that China subsidized the solar panel industry just to enhance its market share. Installers of the solar panels initially do not give importance to this perspective and they focused just on the utilization of these panels. The manufacturers claim that the producers have a better record when it comes to quality and the local government should support this industry by developing proactive plans for the development of this industry.
The growth of this industry enhances with the advent of time and different manufacturers opt for this strategy. Organizations, general consumers, state departments, etc. believes in the ideology that they should stress on the development of these panels through which they can reduce the cost of production and benefits in both the short and the long run. Different PV plants backed by the government of United States powered this industry and investors believed in the ideology that they could meet up the targets proactively through this approach. However, they have to lower down the cost of production to attain self-sufficiency.
Conclusively, United States possess a string customer base when it comes to solar panels and they should try their level best to cash on this perspective. They have to face stiff competition from the Chinese products and this occurs mainly because of low cost of production. The solar energy resources and equipment provides a beneficial resource when it comes to energy consumption because strategists prefer this form of energy. It involves onetime cost and it would reduce the cost in the longer-run. Individuals should always strive to enhance their environment by indulging in greener resources of energy and creating an environment that is free from fossil fuels.

References

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