The Problem With Sunshine

Yes, I know what the problem with sunshine is, you live in Buffalo or Toronto or London and do not see enough of it. But that is not what I was thinking. The problem with sunshine is that we do not even begin to make the most of it. Yes, I know that you are off to the beach every chance you get but that is not what I am thinking either.

The real problem with sunshine is that we are struggling with high heating bills because of disruptions in the supply of natural gas. We have involved ourselves in the Middle East in order to secure the supply of oil we need to continue our present way of life and in doing so, the culture clash has brought about a conflict that threatens the modern world.

We are dumping exhaust into the atmosphere so that global warming is no longer an academic debate, the world is definitely getting warmer, the ice cap is melting and sea levels are rising. We are using nuclear power and risking more Chernobyls. We are still polluting the air and promoting global warming by burning coal. And none of this needs to be happening.

Did you ever stop to think about the incalculable amount of energy that falls on earth from the sun? All of the above sources of energy, except nuclear power, actually are manifestations of solar energy. When you burn wood for heat, you are actually releasing the solar energy that was stored up in the wood by the creation of molecular bonds during the tree's lifetime. When you burn the wood, those bonds are broken and the energy is released as heat.

The next time you pay your home electric and heating bills, remember that the energy from the sun that falls on the roof of your house could provide more than the electricity you would need to cover both for free. The next time that you stop at the gas station remember that the energy from the sun falling on the roof of your car, even when it is cloudy, could be moving your car wherever you wanted to go for free.

If you buy a newspaper in the gas station, remember that we would not be entangled in such messes all across the world because we would need imported energy from no one. Furthermore, electric motors that would run on the solar energy that was collected are simpler and much less prone to breakdown than the present internal combustion engines. Think about that the next time you mechanic gives you your bill.

The next time that you book a flight, remember that the largest part of the price of a plane ticket is to pay for the aircraft's fuel supply. The solar energy falling on the plane's wings and fuselage would be more than enough to power the aircraft. If you ask how an electric motor could possibly fly a plane at 600-700 miles per hour, it does not need to be an electric motor. The electricity from the solar energy could be used to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis and the plane's engines could be hydrogen-powered. The plane would literally run on water.

So why isn't this happening? We could be well into our new solar future by now, but clearly we're not. The answer is that too many people do not want this vision of a solar future. There are a lot of rich and powerful people in the energy industry who are going to use that power to keep the status quo.

What would happen to people in the oil, natural gas and, coal mining industries if everything suddenly started running on sunshine? Most of us, as well as the planet as a whole, would certainly be much better off. But there are a lot of powerful people out there, both businessmen and politicians beholden to those businessmen who really do not want you to know that.

You may be thinking that solar cells are expensive and do not produce large amounts of electricity. I answer that nowhere near enough effort has been put into developing solar power. All plants get their energy from solar power through their leaves. If the United States Government had put the same amount of energy into developing solar power that it put into developing the internet, the atomic bomb or, the interstate highway system, it would be the only source of fuel that we need for virtually anything by now.

There could be a variety of technical avenues for solar energy harvesting. Convention solar cells rely on the so-called Compton Effect, having incoming energy knock electrons out of materials to form an electric current. Photosynthesis in plants uses the energy to split water molecules, which then causes hydrogen atoms to combine with carbon dioxide in the air to create a simple sugar.

If you are now thinking what I'm thinking, you're right. Pulling carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, out of the air by artificial photosynthesis during our use of solar energy, could reverse global warming and restore the planet.

I believe that this solar conversion project would have to be done by the government. The project is simply too large for most corporations and would have required too much time potentially without showing a profit. As with the development of the internet, the government could get it running and then the private sector could join in.

All we have to do is put the same enthusiasm and effort into finding a cheap and practical tile to harvest solar energy, whether using the Compton Effect, artificial photosynthesis or some other technology, that we put into building atom bombs or coming up with a cheap and practical light bulb. But the real problem with sunshine is that it is free. There is no way to charge people for sunshine like there is oil, gas or, electricity.

Why would big business want people to have an endless supply of energy that they do not have to pay for? The only money would be in the manufacturing and sales of the original tiles and equipment. There surely must be a lot of rich and powerful people who would dread a solar future, no matter how good it would be for you and me. The next time you wonder if Republican capitalism is really the best system, remember this.