The unbridled proliferation of harmful greenhouse gases from excessive fossil fuel combustion has induced what is called the “greenhouse effect,” where the heat from the sun is unable to escape from the earth as a result of intense atmospheric concentrations of such greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The greenhouse effect dominoes into climate change, which results in disastrous natural phenomena that all roots back to the abnormally raised global temperature brought about by man’s overuse of fossil fuel.

Climate change scientists and Jon M. Queen agree that to battle climate change, the world must reduce carbon emissions by turning to renewable sources of energy, such as solar power.

Solar power involves harnessing radiant light from the sun and converting it into electrical current, either directly via photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly via concentrated solar power (CSP). While PV converts sunlight directly into electricity using the photoelectric effect, CSP uses mirrors, lenses, or tracking systems to stream a large area of sunlight into a small beam.

As of 2010, solar photovoltaics has been generating electricity in over 100 countries. The fastest growing power-generation technology in the world, solar photovoltaics currently uses only a portion of its 4.8 terrawatt-total global power generating capacity based on existing solar power sources. Solar power is not only renewable and cost-effective; it also runs quietly and requires little maintenance. Most of all, solar power produces no pollution. If only households, businesses, industries, and countries switched to solar power, the climate’s current sorry state might see brighter days.

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