The arguments for and against generating alternative sources of energy continue to rage, but one thing is clear – at some point in the future, we will run out of fossil fuels and will be forced to seek alternatives. Hopefully before we manage to destroy ourselves fighting over the fossil fuels. Any fool can see there is a finite supply of fossil fuels, but rather than seriously look for alternatives now, I suspect we will wait until the last drop of oil or coal is squeezed from beneath the earth’s surface and we face an energy crisis.

Solar power makes an awful lot of sense in all but the most important way – economically. It is a sad truth that the powers-that-be would rather push us to another world war than deal with our future energy needs in a rational, thoughtful way. Instead of looking at the current financial crisis as a positive jolt to make us look at our value system, governments around the world are scrambling to restore the status quo. And this is what we need to do – change our value system.

Solar power is quite capable of providing a large part of the world’s energy requirements without destroying the planet. If the amount of time, energy and money and human resources that has been plowed into the Iraq war had been devoted instead to developing clean alternative energies who knows how far along the road we would be? Instead, we have war, conflict and very little interest from the parties directly committed to looking after us. Just look at the efforts they are going to to keep the conventional auto companies in business. The amount of money being thrown at General Motors is stunning.

Sure solar power is more expensive at the moment. But why is that? Simple. Greed. The true costs of producing power “conventionally,” are well disguised by government tax breaks, government bailouts and this ridiculous notion that the only thing that matters is growth.

Energy from the sun is freely available, will continue to be there for the foreseeable future and costs nothing in monetary terms. Most of the insane arguments I see against solar power is that the collectors are ugly. In fact, where I live – the sunniest place in France - it is illegal to add a solar power panel to any building within 200 meters of a church. And seeing as the place is littered with churches and chapels, this means most of the built-up areas will not allow you to use a home solar system. There is nothing rational in making solar panels illegal unless you realize that the existing energy providers have lobbied the government to do as they wish.