Potential consumers of solar powered equipment may not understand why solar energy is so important for the clean energy agenda in the USA. Consumers may be familiar with the basic concept that the sun is an endless source of energy. What is the connection to protecting the Earth? This article examines how solar energy use relates to the environmental goals of protecting the Earth’s remaining biomass and reducing the burning of fossil fuels.

Why Should We Stop Burning Fossil Fuels?

The global energy crisis challenges the world to reduce the rapid burning of the Earth’s supply of fossil fuels, including coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Some scientists predict that the worlds’ supply of fossil fuels will be depleted in the 21st century. If they are correct, a critical shortage of fossil fuels could occur in our lifetime.

Schleiger and Weisblatt (2006) explain that wind, solar, and other alternatives to fossil fuels will be able to satisfy some of the global energy demand. However, these alternative energy sources are not cheap, with the limitations of “cost, environmental considerations, and even simple geography.” Therefore, today’s energy research focuses in part on reducing the problem of cost and on solving environmental and geographic concerns.

What is the Earth’s Biomass?

Biomass is the total amount of decomposed material in a specific area of the natural environment (see Wikipedia for an expanded definition) . Fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and petroleum, are produced naturally by the decay, or bacterial decomposition, of soil materials over long periods of time. Bacteria break down the remains of animals and plants and biodegradable waste.

The global population consumes over 60 billion tons of biomass each year, rapidly burning a biomass supply that took thousands of years to accumulate. Volker Quaschning, author of Understanding Renewable Energy Systems (2005), notes that “fossil fuels are stored biomass of the ancient past. A huge amount of these fossil fuels has already been consumed in the 20th century.”

Solar energy, in addition to wind energy and future technologies like hydrogen fusion power, are important components of the U.S. and global energy agendas.

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