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M. Caitlin Harrison
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
April 2, 2015
The Future for Solar May Not Be as Bright as It Seems
A couple of months ago I received a calculator in the mail. It was one that I had ordered
for a math class that only allowed one specific type. This special calculator was a one-line
display solar-powered device. As I sat in the living room examining it, I put my finger over the
small solar panel and watched the numbers on the display slowly fade away. I removed my
finger and the calculator quickly came back to life, soaking in the heat and light from the lamp
on the table next to me. I did this a couple times, fascinated by the mere concept of solar energy.
Questions were running wildly through my head. How is solar energy converted into other kinds
of energy? What happens to solar energy when its not being used? Most of all, if solar is so
great, why hasnt it replaced other energy sources that are more dangerous and harmful to the
environment?
Solar energy has become a major part of our everyday lives, whether we realize it or not.
Most people, when they hear solar energy, think about big, fancy, and expensive solar panels,
but thats not all solar energy consists of. Chances are, you use solar energy more than once or
twice in your everyday life without even knowing it. In a broad sense, solar energy has two
subcategories: active and passive. Active solar energy is what we always think of when we hear
about solar energy; it includes solar panels and lakes. Passive solar energy, on the other hand,
dates back to way before the discovery of photovoltaic cells. Passive solar energy is simply a
matter of placement and structure, using the sun to heat, cool, or light a building by constructing

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or orienting it a certain way. An example of passive solar energy is a building with big open
windows on the side that faces the sun most during the day, providing natural light and heat. This
is the kind of solar energy we encounter every day without realizing it.
Both subdivisions of solar energy are interesting and unique, but in this essay I will focus
on active solar energy, specifically solar panels. Passive solar energy isnt really an area of
concern for most people; the sun will continue to rise and set every day and when it has stopped,
we wont be here to see it. Active solar energy, in contrast, is oftentimes unreliable; and while it
may continue to grow as an industry, it will most likely never be reliable or accessible enough to
replace fossil fuels or coal and provide energy independently.
First, in a discussion of such a scientific topic, it is necessary to define and explain basic
terminology. The structure of a solar panel is a good starting place. In a solar panel there are
hundreds of thousands of little photovoltaic cells. A photovoltaic cell is one that converts light
energy into electrical energy. These cells are grouped together and paired with some other
materials like wiring in order to produce a photovoltaic module, or something that is more
commonly referred to as a solar panel (Energy.gov). There are also other methods of active solar
energy such as lakes, which are heated by the sun and then the heat in the water is used to create
electrical energy, but solar panels are the most common method and therefore will be the focus
of this essay.
Solar panels are considered by many to be one of the most promising scientific
discoveries and developments of the past few decades. With the discovery of the photovoltaic
cell and the development of solar technology to accompany it, the future for clean and renewable
energy appears to be very bright. SEIA.org, the official website of Solar Energy Industries
Association, brags that 36% of all new electric capacity installed in 2014 has come from solar.

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John Teresko, an author for Industry Week, says that the solar energy field is growing so much
that businesses who inspect and approve solar products are getting backed up.
On the other hand, many people are also expressing concerns for the solar industry. Todd
Woody writes in his article for the New York Times about a number of solar panels failing just
shortly after being installed. According to the article, the solar industry is facing a major quality
crisis at an inconvenient time, seeing as solar power is becoming more and more popular every
day. Corners are being cut somewhere in the production process, resulting in billions of dollars
worth of defects. Solar production seems to be so expensive that people are trying, and failing, to
find ways to reduce costs.
So just how much does solar production cost, exactly? Are these producers who are
cutting corners justified in their desire to bring costs down? According to the SEIA, the price of
solar systems have recently plummeted due to increased production. As more systems are being
installed in the United States, the costs for these systems are decreasing dramatically. The
following chart shows the weighted average system price in contrast with the annual
photovoltaic installations. It is clear that as production goes up, price comes down. According to
an article written by Christopher Helman for Forbes, solar production cost is closing in on
equality in price with coal. From the looks of it, solar is becoming a very good candidate for
cheaper and cleaner energy.

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But maybe its not as good of a candidate as it seems for replacing coal and fossil fuels,
two of the leading energy producers in the world. According to the same article by Christopher
Helman, solar energy makes up less than 1 quadrillion out of the total 96.5 quadrillion Btu, a unit
of energy, we use annually. In his article, Christopher Helman examines the possibility of
replacing coal, an energy source that is harmful to our environment, with solar energy and
natural gas.
Paired with the only reasonable growth possibility in natural gas, solar alone would have
to increase about six-fold to around 50,000 megawatthours per year. Achieving that would
require 20% compound annual growth in solar installations for 10 years. In other words, solar
usage would have to increase by 20% every year for the next 10 years, and that would be a
substantial amount of growth to put it lightly. This, according to Christopher Helman, is possible
for only a very short amount of time. As solar usage increases, it becomes harder and harder to
keep a steady rate of 20% growth every year. He also states that ironically, if we ever were to cut
out coal and replace it with natural gas and solar, the price of coal would steadily decrease,
making it a more appealing energy source.

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Armond Cohen, the executive director of Clean Air Task Force, writes an article about
how important and even central coal will be for our world in the future. He writes, the major
global competitors to coal gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and energy efficiency are likely to gain
ground but not seriously challenge coals market share for some time. The fact is, we do not
have enough solar resources to use it to replace major energy contributors any time soon.
Another glaring problem with solar energy is that it is only available in the sun.
Unfortunately, scientists have not yet discovered a way to store solar energy so that it can
provide during night hours or on cloudy days. There is a lot research is going into storing solar
energy, but it is, as of yet, not storable. Additionally, while solar energy is growing rapidly,
scientists are still struggling to find any way to efficiently collect a significant amount of solar
energy. Solar panels are typically only about 11-15% efficient, according to Pureenergies.com.
This means they can only collect a measly percentage of the inexhaustible amount of heat and
light energy the sun puts out each day.
So, where does all this research and conversation leave solar standing today? There are
four major components every good energy source needs: reliability, accessibility, affordability,
and environmental friendliness. When these four come together in good agreement, we have a
perfect energy source. But no energy source is perfect. While oil is a nice candidate, it is
becoming difficult to access and getting to it is often dangerous for the environment. Coal,
however, is accessible, cheap, and reliable, but it is frowned upon due to its negative effects on
our environment. Solar energy has trouble fulfilling any of these requirements apart from
environmental friendliness. Solar panels are often unreliable and stop working well before they
should. Whats more, the sun is not always accessible, and it cannot be stored to provide energy

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during nights and cloudy days. Solar energy is, luckily, lowering in price, but is still no cheaper
than fossil fuels or coal.
This, unfortunately, leaves solar energy standing in the background, in the shadows of
major energy contributors such as fossil fuels and coal. While we all have high hopes for solar, it
simply does not present itself as a better, or even equal, alternative to our bigger energy
contributors. Sure, solar energy looks promising and will undoubtedly continue to grow in
popularity over the upcoming years. But, sadly, solar energy has no hope in the future of
becoming the spotlight of our energy consumption.
I hope my title isnt too harsh in implying that solar energy has a hopeless future. Instead,
I intend only to raise concerns and awareness for the dangers of a society becoming too
dependent on solar power. Yes, solar energy will continue to grow and blossom into a fantastic
alternative energy source. But thats just it. Solar energy can be nothing but alternative. The
moment we begin to think that our world can function on clean and renewable energy alone is
the moment we are in danger. Solar energy is simply too unreliable to replace fossil fuels or coal
and stand by itself.

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Works Cited
Cohen, Armond. Mission Possible: An Environmentalist Looks at Coal and Climate.
PennEnergy. PennEnergy, 30 Dec. 2013. 1 Apr. 2015.
Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Helman, Christopher. Solar Power Is Booming, But Will Never Replace Coal. Heres Why.
Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Pureenergies.com. Pure Energies Group, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
SEIA.org. Solar Energy Industries Association, n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
Teresko, John. The Future Is Bring for Solar Energy. Industry Week 258.1 (2009): n. pag.
Web. 9 Mar. 2015.
Woody, Todd. Solar Industry Anxious Over Defective Panels. The New York Times. The New
York Times, 28 May 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.