Have you seen the sun lately?

Our main energy sources are depleting at a rate that we aren’t able to replenish. The depletion of the energy sources has been more so rapid in recent times. Since the turn of the 20^th century the energy usage per person has also increased to a great extent. It is in fact safe to say that the energy that is used by an average person today was unheard of even about 300 years ago.

Our non renewable energy sources are burning away constantly and we have not been able to recreate resources like petrol and coal on a large scale in the labs. The so called myth of renewable sources of energy and their extensive use is never going to happen as long as we are so dependent on fossil fuels.

The world and how it is running on an endless binge of energy apart, we are also individually very complacent about energy and how we use it. Pollution from vehicles is still among the largest sources of pollution but we are always game to buy out the biggest petrol head or the largest diesel engine if given the opportunity and the funds. Walking has become non-existent in some parts of the world, we don’t walk even a couple of miles a day, instead we use the car or the bike for even the smallest of distances.

Our indiscriminate use of the constantly depleting energy sources has created a state of near crisis and this is very soon going to develop into an all out energy crisis if we don’t adapt some alternative sources for energy.

One very good and a very accessible solution is that of solar power. Solar power is easy to install, it is easy to use and it is available in plenty throughout the world. Even the simplest solar heating kits can be used to heat up water and even cook food. Solar lighting should be used where possible and these technologies should be made accessible and available to all. The research into vehicles that run on solar power has also moved to a significant distance and hopefully in the near future we will have solar powered vehicles on the road.

Besides solar power there is not a lot that appeals to me personally as a source of power. In fact just solar power is more than enough to meet energy needs for people in a lot of different areas of the world and it does not involve the occupation and the desecration of the natural environments unlike water power and wind power which require a significant amount of space to be set up in larger scales. Solar power can also be set up individually even in homes. The sun has made life possible and has always given humanity means to survive and live off its energy, we should all encourage the use of solar power in our daily lives.