Why isn't solar energy taking off more in the USA?

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   peeplesposted 9 years ago

   Why isn't solar energy taking off more in the USA?

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   QuoteAmberposted 9 years ago

   Because the government won't support renewable energy research. They give tax breaks and grants to big oil companies, but they don't really do the same for renewable energy companies.
   
   Obama and Al Gore may be for renewable energy, limiting emissions and mitigating the damages of global warming, but they face huge opposition in the House and Senate, especially by republicans who either don't believe in global warming or don't think it effects them or benefit by not using green technology (i.e. they are paid by oil and coal companies to keep bills and laws that would benefit renewable technology from passing).
   
   As long as oil and gas and methane and coal are a cheaper option, until the US government passes laws, give grants to renewable energy and proclaims their support, solar energy will not start to take off in the US until we get to the point where we are almost out of fossil fuels and have no choice but to switch.
   
   Plus there are a lot of issues with solar energy that still need to be worked out before it is a viable replacement for fossil fuels. It needs to be more efficient, cheaper, and we need to find a way to store solar energy and send it over long distances like we do with fossil fuels. However, scientists cannot find viable solutions to those problems if the government won't support the research.

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      peeplesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I don't see how anyone can deny global warming. It may have been exaggerated at one point, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Thanks for commenting.

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   Kathleen Odenthalposted 9 years ago

   Our country is selfish and realizes how much money they will lose if solar power succeeds, so they try as hard as they can to suppress large scale solar energy farms from popping up, in an effort to keep the people blind. It is sad but true.

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      peeplesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Very true.

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   The Examiner-1posted 9 years ago

   Perhaps because the sun does not stay out of the clouds long enough to charge things in certain areas.

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   M. T. Dremerposted 9 years ago

   From the government level, it's the influence of oil lobbies that makes it hard to mandate more green energy programs. From the free-market level it's more profitable to sell fossil fuels, which every American needs weather they believe in global warming or not. And, from the personal level, solar panels are expensive. They eventually pay for themselves, but the initial cost of getting them (and a battery to store excess energy) can be very high.
   
   It really is a shame that solar panels aren't more prevalent, because more than enough energy rains down on us every day. We should really just start making our roofs out of it.

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   Larry Fishposted 6 years ago

   Our politicians are in the pockets of big oil. The oil companies give millions every year to politicians to vote the way they want and to get their puppets elected. Solar power is really taking off in Europe and it has really done wonders. No doubt solar energy is going to make it here in the U.S. because the American people want it.
   My energy company has recently built a large solar farm in eastern North Carolina. The American people need to speak up, write to your representatives and senators and tell them what you think. I do it on a regular basis.

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