COMMENTARY
One of the greatest things about solar energy is it's there when you need it the most. Here in the United States throughout the summer on the hottest days we suffer from brown-outs. This is when our electrical grids are strained to their max. However these are the optimum conditions for pollution free solar panels at which time they perform at their best.
We're becoming the biggest a-holes in the world by allowing fossil fuel interests to hold us back in the steam age while the rest of the world moves forward. So here you have the second largest oil producer in the world who in less then 18 years expects about 30% of their electric to come from the sun. Even they favor solar over the continuation of burning dirty fossilized crud coming from holes in the ground. They are not alone. The United States ranks 5th in total solar energy output behind Germany, China, Italy and Japan. Three of which are far smaller nations then we.
While other nations are moving forward here we are fighting over a pipeline and (possible earthquake prone) fracking. As if that weren't bad enough here we are attempting to stifle solar technology's progress. This while in the meantime the world's second largest oil producer, the government of Saudi Arabia is pouring $109 billion of it's own money. This will not only extend the life of their oil fields, but also extend other nations' dependency on them further into the future.
Why do you think Russia invaded Crimea?
(The answer may not be for the reasons you think)
So what's that to us?
In January 2014 the U.S. imported 287,188,000 barrels of crude oil products. No matter how you slice and dice it when it comes to foreign policy it makes the U.S. dependent to the whims of foreign nations. Nations who can hold us hostage to their demands for our continued military support and set political and economic policies with them.
Currently the United States depends on other nations to supply roughly 30% of our petroleum needs. Unless we plan on fracking and drilling every few miles on both land and sea, we're pretty much in the same boat. I don't know about anyone else but creating earthquakes, polluting our water and air is one hellva' lousy plan for solving our growing energy needs.
If we truly want to be not only energy independent and free from foreign governments dictating our polices we need energies like those that come from solar and wind devices. Making laws that stifle these is not only ignorant policy, but can be dangerous as well.
