For the past century, the world has relied mainly on fossil fuels as its primary source of energy. The problem is that we have also proven that the use of fossil fuels is affecting the ozone layer of our atmosphere. After years of speculation, there is now no doubt that global warming is real. Because of a hole in the ozone layer, we have decreased protection from the rays of the sun. As an effect, we are experiencing continued increase of global temperatures. Because of this, various national organizations are calling to use renewable energy to drive to use clean technologies to decrease the impact of global warming.
The most explored kind of renewable energy is solar energy. From the name itself, solar energy is collected from the sun’s ray using photovoltaic modules in a solar panel. Installations of large amounts of solar panels can significantly increase the efficiency of its use.
Nowadays, more and more countries are making the effort to shift to solar energy. Despite its initial cost, the payback of solar energy is significantly greater than using fossil fuels. Some of the countries that have increased solar installation and production include China, Japan, and Italy. But among all of the countries in the world, Germany is the most solar efficient country.
One of the reasons why Germany has been the forerunner in solar energy is because of the mandatory codes implemented by the government to reduce non-renewable energy consumption by as much as 20 percent. Germany believes that the best kind of energy is the one you do not have to produce, which is how solar energy works.
By 2011, Germany became the leading manufacturer of solar panels. They are also in the top five countries with the most solar panels installed. Using these solar panels, they can produce and estimated 38,250 Megawatts of power solely from solar energy, which is the most of any country. It only shows that it is indeed possible for us to continue our technological advancements to make renewable energy our primary source of power.