| As the world braces for a looming energy crisis, fueled | | | | countries -- just as the jobs and manufacturing |
| by skyrocketing oil prices because of increasing | | | | processes have been exported. However, if countries |
| demand for energy and fewer resources to go | | | | like India and China had not become the world's |
| around, solar panels are becoming a more lucrative | | | | factories, the goods would still have to have been |
| and attractive solution for powering our energy hungry | | | | produced somewhere. Therefore, it even though it |
| world. As the price of fossil fuels increase and as the | | | | seems evident that India and China are poised to |
| cost to the environment becomes a major concern, | | | | become the largest environmental polluters on earth, |
| solar panels are becoming more affordable and cost | | | | within a handful of years, we can still do a lot to help |
| effective -- in the long run. | | | | slow down the effects of this pollution, on a global |
| Solar panels create electricity by converting energy | | | | scale, collectively. |
| from the sun into electricity. The energy that the sun | | | | If the businesses and residents of the world richest |
| provides is free, but transferring it into electricity is not | | | | countries, who can afford to make use of green |
| free. In the past, solar panels were a useful but | | | | technologies -- such as the installation of solar panels, |
| expensive method of providing power. However, as | | | | act quickly, we can offset a measurable amount of |
| the market demands green alternatives, and as more | | | | the pollution that is created by the world market. It |
| businesses and individuals install solar panel systems | | | | needs to be remembered that just because these |
| into their homes and businesses, solar panels are being | | | | factories are moving to India and China for the |
| produced on a larger scale, and are therefore | | | | cheaper manufacturing costs, it does not mean that |
| becoming a lot more cost effective. | | | | we're not also to blame; we're not off the hook. It is |
| At the time this article is being written, solar energy is | | | | our businesses and corporations that import from |
| still more expensive to produce, at least on the | | | | these countries, and indeed, constructed many of the |
| surface, than energy from fossil fuels like oil and coal. | | | | manufacturing plants and factories in the first place. It is |
| However, if one takes the cost of damage to our | | | | the rich countries in the world that import the goods |
| environment into account, solar energy is, by far, a | | | | from these countries. So anything we can do to help |
| much cheaper, practical and cost effective solution to | | | | slow the rate of pollution, collectively, will be helpful. |
| energy needs. Of course, solar power is not the only | | | | As solar technologies and other green technologies |
| solution to moving away from fossil fuels, and it is only | | | | such as wind power products become more widely |
| one solution out of many, but most local governments | | | | used, it will become a lot cheaper -- and is becoming a |
| have rebates and tax incentives which make the cost | | | | lot cheaper. Once solar panels are widely used, all over |
| of installing solar panels into homes and businesses | | | | the world, and as the cost of fossil fuels increase to |
| even more attractive and financially rewarding. | | | | the point where it is actually more expensive than |
| Countries like China and India, who are experiencing an | | | | green technologies like solar panels, the cost of these |
| industrial golden age are adding to the pressure of, not | | | | technologies will be more affordable for the industrial |
| only the cost of energy, but also the environment. It's | | | | centers of the world, like India and China, to afford. It is |
| rather hard to blame these countries for the position | | | | the responsibility of all of us, around the world to do |
| they're in, as already successful, prosperous and | | | | everything we can to promote and use green |
| economically powerful first world countries import a | | | | technologies such as solar panels. |
| growing amount of manufactured goods from these | | | | |