President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that provides billions in investments to increase the use of solar energy, promote energy efficiency, improve financing options and remove market barriers.

Solar and energy efficient improvements for federal buildings
Solar water heating incentives, removing the $2000 cap on the 30% personal tax credit (excludes pools and hot tubs)
Green-collar job training programs
Ending the state and municipal ‘subsidized financing penalty’
Smart grid investments
Expanding research and development programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency

This legislation also funds solar and energy efficient upgrades for schools, solar grant alternatives to the investment tax credit, solar manufacturer incentives, and other historic investments.

There’s still a long way to go, but this legislation provides a tremendous step forward that will help generate green jobs, reduce energy costs, tackle climate change and power the new energy economy for years to come.

It is hoped that this historic legislation will massively increase the use of solar energy all across the America and will help position the U.S. as a global leader in the booming solar marketplace, generating thousands of green-collar jobs, promoting energy independence, and helping to tackle climate change.

Here are a few more specifics of the legislation:

For full text go to Library of Congress

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Solar energy begins with collecting the energy from the sun by harnessing it through the use of evolving technologies, and then using it for things like electricity and heating.  Solar energy is being used more and more by businesses and homeowners as a way to fight rising electricity bills and also to live in a more environmentally friendly way. Solar energy along with other resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity, and biomass are sources of renewable energy.

Air Force Base Installation

One of the first recorded uses of solar energy was in the 1830’s when a British explorer in Africa built a box to collect the energy from the sun’s rays and used it to cook his food. Today solar energy is used mainly to create heat and to create electricity. Other solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water through distillation and disinfection, day-lighting, hot water, thermal energy, and the use of high temperatures for industrial purposes.

There are two ways to generate electricity from solar energy. The first solar power technology provides electricity through the use of heat engines or by using the photovoltaic method.  This method uses a collection of cells made of certain materials to grab the sun’s energy and directly convert it to electricity. Since the sun’s rays are diffuse it takes a large number of these photovoltaic cells working together to provide any real power.

The second way is using solar power plants. These huge plants use sunlight indirectly to create electricity.  In simple terms the sunlight heats water which produces steam and the steam powers a generator that creates electricity.  There are 15 large solar power plants in the United States. 10 are in California, and 5 are in Arizona.

Solar energy is totally renewable and has no measurable impact on the environment which is why it’s the renewable energy system of choice for many environmentally conscious people. However there are a few drawbacks to using solar energy.  One disadvantage of using solar energy is that because the energy created by the sun is so diffuse it takes a lot of sunlight to generate power. This means that solar plants have to have a large surface area.

Another disadvantage of solar energy is that the amount of the sun’s energy that reaches the solar cells depends on things like the amount of cloud cover, the temperature, the time of day and other factors that can’t be controlled.  Scientists are trying to develop ways of using solar energy to generate large amounts of power, similar to central power plants burning fossil fuels today. Most experts agree that the best way to use solar energy for electricity and heating is for individual homeowners and building owners to use solar panels to generate heat and electricity for their own buildings.

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The high prices that Americans have recently been paying at the gas pump motivates them to reflect on the root cause of the problem and consider the consequences of our nation’s dangerous addiction to foreign oil. Americans’ oil habits threatens our economy and at the same time it is pinching our pockets.  It also fuels OPEC’s rising profits.

Tthe Department of Energy reports that the United States currently uses nearly 20 million barrels of oil a day, importing 55 percent of it. We spend more than $20 billion each year on oil from the Middle East. Twenty years from now, U.S. consumption will rise to 28.3 million barrels of oil a day, with 70 percent of it imported. This heavy reliance on foreign oil makes America increasingly dependent on some of the least stable, undemocratic countries in the world. (See Graph)

Others have expressed great concern for the effects of global warming. It is becoming a huge problem which will significantly affect every country in the world.  All over the world people are trying to do whatever they can to help combat the effects of global warming. People can fight global warming by reducing their dependence on non-renewable energy sources like oil and petroleum based products. This has created a vast increase in interest to find ways to live in a more environmentally responsible way and to find ways to wean us from our addiction to petroleum by utilizing alternate fuel sources.

Finding ways to become more environmentally responsible and still meet the requirements of everyday life is not always easy. For many people taking public transportation or riding a bicycle to work is just not a feasible option. Whether or not you can take public transportation really depends on where you live and how much of a public transportation system there is in place in that area.  It’s not unusual for a large city to have a public transportation system that doesn’t function well in reaching its population or a smaller city not to have any public transportation available at all.

So what options exist for people who want to live in a more environmentally-responsible way but still deal with day-to-day realities?  Using solar energy to help heat and power your home is one of the choices that people can make to contribute to a solution.  Solar energy is a completely renewable energy source that will save money on your heating and electricity costs as well as reduce consumption of environmental resources and reduce consumption of petroleum.

In recent years technology related to the use of solar energy has come a long way.  Major strides have been made in solar power systems developed. Investment by government and industry in the development of solar power technology has made it possible to use solar power much more affordably and feasibly. Today’s homeowner and apartment dweller are able to use solar energy and help the environment while saving money. Commercial developers are able to incorporate solar energy into their building designs and build homes that have been constructed with solar power systems installed during the building process.

The use of solar energy as a main power source is still relatively new in the United States. Other countries especially those in Europe have been relying on solar power for a large amount of their energy needs for years. These countries have proven that with the right equipment and technology it is possible to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources. Because solar energy produces no greenhouse gases, using solar power helps the environment and reduces our dependence on oil consumption. The Solar Power industry in the United States is making great strides in making solar energy efficient and affordable for those interested in using it in their homes and businesses.

Energy Information Administration

Official Energy Statistics from the U. S. Government

www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

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