Solar Panel Use Around the World

Even though the use of solar energy in the United States is relatively new, people in other countries have been using solar energy for a long time. Right now Germany is the biggest producer of solar energy, followed closely by Australia.

Interest in solar power around the world increased during the Oil Embargo of 1973 and the resulting oil crisis that dragged through much of the 1970’s. During that time the countries that had the richest deposits of oil in the Middle East refused to ship oil to the United States, Western Europe, and any country that had supported Israel. Faced with huge oil shortages and angry consumers businesses quickly began developing solar energy technology that had been abandoned when oil was cheap and plentiful.

Why have other countries adopted the use of solar energy so much quicker than the United States? The simplest answer to that question is cost. After the end of the Oil Embargo the United States developed strong ties with the OPEC countries that led to a large reduction in oil prices.

For decades the United States has enjoyed some of the cheapest fossil fuel prices of any developed nation because of the existence of fossil fuel deposits like coal and natural gas in the United States and good relationships with other countries like OPEC that have huge natural supplies of fossil fuels.

Fossil fuel prices in the United States are rising and consumers are shocked at how much they have to pay for gas and electricity that is coming from fossil fuels but for many countries around the world the costs that United States citizens pay is still much lower than the cost of gas and electricity in their countries that must import 90% or more of their fossil fuel products.

Now the focus is on solar energy around the world because the world is running out of fossil fuels, and the environment is changing at an alarming rate due to pollution from the use of fossil fuels and the destruction of the earth to get fossil fuels. Scientists, politicians, and homeowners that want to live in an environmentally responsible way while saving money on their energy costs are all trying to find ways to make solar energy more practical and more affordable for everyday citizens.

For homeowners around the world solar energy is quickly becoming a cheap alternative to costly fossil fuel energy. Since the cost of living is increasing fast homeowners need to find cheaper ways to power their homes. In addition, being able to generate your own solar power gives homeowners greater independence.