will solar power help stop global warming ?

Question

Coal and diesel powered Electric plants are polluting us to death.

Answer 1

Yes, and so will windmills, but sometimes these sources are not reliable.
We need replanted forests, we do not in particular need rain forests,
but trees to replace the trees destroyed by forest fires.

Answer 2

It won't because I don't think that it helps decrease the heat/energy that would been trapped in atmosphere causing global warming. It is easy for sunlight/heat to get into the atmosphere but it is harder to get out due to the main culprit, CO2 in the air which is TRAPPING the heat. The thing is that when our homes rely on solar, it doesn't use, or little, electricity for the power station that consumes gas emmiting CO2. Therefore, it is a benefit, slowing down global warming.

Let's get a little off topic here. I know that environmentalists like Al Gore, Barbra Streisand, and others are declared as "hypocrites" because they own big houses that use more energy than the common man's home. I have two responses:
1. Hopefully, they don't leave the lights on when not in use.
2. If they haven't done so already, they should get buy solar panels to install on their roofs, which they should be able to afford.
I'm saying this because if they want MORE SUPPORT for their cause they have to keep away from the adage, "Do what I say, not what I do."

Answer 3

Even if the entire USA (which is still cleaner than many other countries around the world) stopped using coal and diesel electric power generation (and stopped using gasoline powered cars)...the whole world's climate would barely notice.

For one thing, volcanoes release thousands of times the amount of pollutants and 'greenhouse gas' than what the USA has done in its entire history.

Second, if you're just concerned about pollution for its own sake, take a look at China and Russia as the two largest polluters on the planet...not to mention their satellite nations and numerous third-world crap countries.

Third, the whole 'global climate change' debate has gone from 'global cooling' in the 70's to 'global warming' right now. If you look at history, there has been massive climate change as recent as the middle ages...what was it caused by? Did all the wood smoke fires have something to do with it, or was there a multitude of factors, or is it just a natural cycle? Don't just take it as 'fact' that coal and diesel electric plants are causing global warming.

Answer 4

Anything that creates less emissions of greenhouse gases will help, but the difference may not be detectable unless everyone does it.

By the way, Kurt M's answer is wrong. The US is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, both on an absolute scale and per person. It's idiots like him talking all this crap when they are really clueless that causes the false impression of a controversy. There is no debate among scientists that humans are increasing the temperature of Earth's atmosphere.

Also, the guy before me is either kidding or seriously out of whack. I mean, just delusional. I looked up his link, which is below:
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2731
Read it if you want to laugh. In this article, a politician whose main source of info is a fiction author is the "expert" that debunks global warming. Hmmm, who should I believe? The fiction author and politician written about in the wildy biased article referenced above, or pretty much every real scientist? In all seriousness, I'm frightened that some people actually listen to non-scientists on a scientific question.

Answer 5

Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun’s heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution - they produce 2.5 billion tons every year.

Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually. Although local temperatures fluctuate naturally, over the past 50 years the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. And experts think the trend is accelerating: the three hottest years on record have all occurred since 1998.

Scientists say that unless we curb global warming emissions, average U.S. temperatures could be 3 to 9 degrees higher by the end of the century. Here’s the good news: technologies exist today to make cars that run cleaner and burn less gas, modernize power plants and generate electricity from nonpolluting sources, and cut our electricity use through energy efficiency. The challenge is to be sure these solutions are put to use.

How can we help cut pollution and slow down global warming? It’s simple: By reducing pollution from vehicles and power plants. Right away, we should put existing technologies for building cleaner cars and more modern electricity generators into widespread use (drive a hybrid!). We can manufacture more efficient appliances and conserve energy. And we can increase our reliance on renewable energy sources. That is the mission of the Citizenrē Corporation: to make a big impact on pollution and global warming by making clean, green, renewable solar power available to the majority of homes in America, and the world.



Energy Security

Over the past decade, electricity demand in the US has grown by roughly 30% while additional transmission capacity has only grown by 15%. In the next decade, US demand is expected to grow by 20%, while planned transmission system growth is expected to be only 3.5%. In the 70’s electricity only accounted for 25% of our nations energy needs; it now accounts for 37% and is projected to account for 50% by 2025 (EPRI – Power for a Digital Society). North American bulk electricity delivery system is not keeping pace.
http://renu.citizenre.com/index.php?p=edu_solution

Answer 6

Yes, and we're not doomed. It takes commitment from a lot of people. The ultimate goal in the evolution of a society to meet energy demands is to harness all the energy we can from the sun. Even a process that's very effecient, such as photosynthesis, only puts to use something like 23% in the form of carbs and sugars that a plant or algae can use. Though, I will have to say that these energy plants are not the major cause of pollution in the world or in the US for that matter. Power plants (point source pollution) have strict regulations on the pollution they pump out and therefore the government can easily regulate and reduce the pollution that comes from these plants. Nowadays, these plants have greatly reduced the amount of pollution they pump out. I know you may see a video or picture of a plant spewing out black smoke but think of how many power plants there are in comparrison with nonpoint source pollution. There's maybe a few hundred or possibly a thousand fossil fuel burning electric plants in the US but there are millions upon million of automobiles burning fossil fuels. But they're not the only nonpoint source of pollution. Homes are another as everybody heats their home with natural gas, oil or coal. Very few still use wood or other means. But, we can concentrate on automobiles as the big player here and therefore we can see that there's a timeline that can be traced as to where our power came from and where we hope for it to evolve. It went something like this from earliest to latest: Animal-biodiesel/fossil fuels-biomass-hydrogen-solar power. Even cars that ran off of pure alcohol would aid in stopping global warming as the amount of CO2 given off from burning the alcohol equals the amount of CO2 the plants grown to produce the alcohol will take in. So the net amount of CO2 added to the atmosphere is 0. But, to reverse the effects of global warming you would have to replicate the same process the earth went through in removing all the CO2 from the "virgin" atmosphere. Basically what that means is removing excess CO2 (which we've added by burning fossil fuels that have been burried and removed from the atmosphere) and burrying it or putting it into some natural cycle that keeps it from going back into the atmosphere. This could mean (if the future technology allows it) converting CO2 into viable sugars and carbs for sustinance.

But yes, solar power is the ultimate goal as it harnesses our ultimate energy source and has 0 pollution. It certainly will put global warming at a stand still for the most part and then the only problem we have to worry about is undoing the damage we've already caused. Solar powered electric plants need to come a long way though as I have mentioned, they're still pretty inefficient at capturing all the energy they have the potential for. Because of this, a solar energy plant needs acres and acres upon acres of land to create fields of solar panels to be of any use. But scientists and engineers are constantly looking for ways to improve the technology.

Answer 7

Stop? Probably not. Slow down? Very possible. Literally everything we do that requires some form of energy results in the production of pollution. Even if we all had solar-cars, we'd still use oil products to build our roads.

Every little bit helps though. I personally like the idea of going solar for my house electricity needs.

Answer 8

Solar power in its present form cannot meet even a small fraction of the world's current demand for energy. In theory, solar radiation on earth may be enough to fill all our needs, but that time is still far away. One theoretical project for example calls for the erection of giant solar panels in the world's deserts and using the energy thereby harvested in electrolizing water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen produced would be compressed into cylindrical containers for shipment to consumers, much like crude oil today. Hydrogen fuels would probably be the neatest fuels ever produced by man, but this project, if at all feasible, can only be considered futuristic, and may not come early enough to reverse the damage currently taking place.

Answer 9

global worming cannot be stopped, our society as we know it today is doomed, world economy is doomed, but everybody is trying to make money selling stuff less polluting, so just the poor people will lose trying to buy something that is really useless.

Coal is really polluting
You know that diesel is less polluting than gasoline from certain points of view ?

For now solar power is only a way to spend a lot of money. We need much more efficient solar panels to really save the world.

Answer 10

Alternative energy--including solar power--can indeed help stop global warming. The ke to stopping GW is to end--or at lest drastically reduce--fossil fuel use. Including oil--you forgot that one! :)

Theree is not likely to be a single souution, however. Solar energy is in many ways the "perfect" technology--except that it's not available at night. But it could provide 20-30 of our energy use--more if we can develop cost-effective technology for storing the energy for later use.

Other sources--biofuels, wind power, and nuclear energy--also have a role. But we also need to look at how we use energy as well. In this latter case, there are direct benefits to consumers (you and me) to be gained from more efficient use--namely lower energy and transportation costs. Individually we can do things like insulate homes, switch to energy-efficient lighting--and fuel-efficient cars. For many people, this means not only helping the environment, it means thousands of dollars in savings annualy! On a broader scale, policies that encourage fel efficient cars, tax credits for home improvements, and shifting governmenttransportation spending policy to emphasize mass transit instead of more roads are all things that can reduce fossil fuel use--and these things also save coonsumers money--thoughthey are longer-term payoffs.

Of course, none ofthis is good news for the oil and coal companies. What a shame! :)

Answer 11

even if we stopped all pollution right this second we would still fill it's affects for 20 more years. by switching to solar, hydro, and other green energies, we reduce how much we harm the environment, and leave a better place for the future to live in. so in a way, yes, it will "help" stop global warming.