Solar Power Issues - Essay Example

The solar power market has grown in the recent past but more needs to be done to sensitize consumers on its existence. One of the ways to ensure that solar power is attractive to individual consumers is by launching an advertising campaign based on solar energy’s characteristics. The unique features of solar such as it is the most abundant source of energy should be taken advantage of by advertisers. A television or radio commercial will appeal to a larger portion of the market. The prospective consumers who watch or listen to television or radio will be reached.

There are several ways through which the United States government makes solar power affordable to its citizens. The first one is offering subsidies to solar power companies. This would consecutively reduce the costs of producing solar panels, translating into lowered prices for solar panels, as well as, acquisition, and installation (Sunhot, n.p). This would make solar power affordable to the citizens and more competitive in the market. Secondly, the United States government needs to establish and implement policies that are favorable for solar power improvement and development. Lastly, the government needs to encourage research, creativity, economies of scale, and better technological solar systems that will sequentially reduce production costs (Office of energy efficiency and renewable energy, n.p).

The effectiveness of solar energy is, however, subject to discussion. The major limitation to its effectiveness is the fact that solar can only produce power during the day which can further be reduced by cloud cover. Secondly, materials used in making solar panels, cadmium, and lead, are considered harmful (Zachary, n.p). When disposing of solar panels one needs to be keen not to expose cadmium to the soil, to prevent it from leeching into the underground waters. Lastly, currently, the costs of installing solar arrays for an entire home might be costly. This makes the electricity they produce cost substantially more than that provided by conventional power sources.

In conclusion, solar power is very useful and works well with most items. But when it comes to large appliances that use heat electric elements it is not cost-effective. It is recommended that conversion to other forms be carried out, for instance, natural gas and propane among other alternatives. Other alternatives include hydro, geothermal, biomass, ocean energy, and wind power. These alternative sources of energy can never run out as they are constantly developing naturally. If these energy sources are properly utilized the world can meet its future energy demands. There is potential useable geothermal and hydro energy in the United States that could form good alternatives to solar power. This is because their production is less costly compared to that of solar power.