I remember as a little girl listening to my grandmother comment on how

the days are definitely getting hotter each year. It is a comment that I
find myself now making to my own children every summer as we battle
the crowds in the shopping centres to escape the humidity and life
draining heat to sit comfortably in the air conditioning. It is also a
comment that, as a mother, I find myself thinking about, why is the
temperature getting hotter? What is causing this and whats more, what
can be done about it?
We have all heard, by now, of global warming, the greenhouse effect or
climate change. These terms, that have been brandished around so
easily, have led us to become blas and indifferent to the major cause of
our planets rapidly disappearing ozone layer humanity. To think that
humanity, and its emission of greenhouse gases are responsible for global
warming is an issue that we must actually stop and ponder.
In my grandmothers days, it was the privileged few who owned a motor
vehicle. Today, many households have two or more vehicles that they
use on a daily basis. These motor vehicles use fossil fuels to get from A to
B. This, combined with the fossil fuel emissions coming from our factories
and electricity production, are all contributing to the increased
production of carbon dioxide, the gas that is mostly responsible for the
increase in temperature. Other gases that contribute to global warming
are methane (which can be released from landfills and be caused by
agriculture) nitrous oxide (from fertilizers, gases used for refrigeration
and industrial processes) and the loss of forests that would otherwise
store CO2 are all affecting Earths temperatures. It is these greenhouse
gases that have heat trapping abilities, thus the increase in greenhouse
gases equates to an increase in temperatures on Earth.
So what can WE do as a collective to reduce the effects of global
warming?
The use of solar energy is one way that people are beginning to reduce
their fossil fuel consumption. Solar energy is the harnessing of the light
and heat produced by the sun for use in our homes or businesses. The
most common solar energy used in Australian homes is either solar
thermal power or solar photovoltaic (also known as solar PV).
So, whats the difference?
Solar thermal is also known as solar hot water. It uses the heat from the
sun to directly heat another medium, normally water, without the need
to generate any electricity. The solar thermal systems use either flat
plates or tubes to capture the sun's heat and transfer the heat into a
fluid. Solar thermal is normally used to boost the production of hot
water. Of course, on days during our wet season, the sun doesnt
produce enough heat to generate all your hot water requirements and
the boosting is then done by either an electric element, a gas fired heater
or (less commonly) other fuel heaters such as wood fired stoves.

Using Solar Energy
By Judith Humberdross
These panels do not generate electricity however contain rows of water
filled tubes that directly collect the suns heat, thereby providing you with
hot water for taps or shower.
Using the suns energy to generate your own electricity uses solar
photovoltaics or solar PV. The solar panels are placed in solar cells on
your roof. This system generates energy from the sunlight during the day
and transfers the energy into a power grid that can power your home
appliances, such as cooking appliances, phones, computers, lights, radios
etc. Power can be drawn directly from the solar inverter and any leftover
electricity can then be fed back into the electricity grid.

The installation of solar power devices in your home can initially be
expensive and this is an issue that needs to be addressed globally. There
are other, less expensive things that you can do to keep your fossil fuel
consumption at a low. Here are some ways that you can help the cause:-
Commuting to work or school by riding your bike or walking. If
this isnt possible, how about car-pooling with colleagues or
taking public transport? This reduces the number of cars on the
roads meaning less fossil fuel being burnt.

Conserve your energy use in the house. Turn off the lights when
you leave a room, have your home insulated, use energy efficient
appliances. Simple things such as hanging the clothes out before
work will ensure that your clothes are dry purely by using the
suns energy.
The facts are simple. For many years, humanity has been having a love
affair with all things fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels are a non-
renewable energy source. Once theyre gone, theyre gone! The sun, on
the other hand, is a renewable energy source. The devices driven by the
suns energy create no greenhouse gases, thereby reducing our footprint
on Earth. Through the effects of global warming, Earth is calling for us to
become more energy wise and develop a global conscience. The question
is will you answer that call?