The Rising Cost:

1. The U.S. government spends $700 billion annually on foreign oil
2. The U.S. consumes 25% of the world's oil and has 4% of the world's population
3. Roughly 86% of the energy we use comes from non-renewable fossil fuels
4. Rising demand for oil from China, India, and Brazil is driving up the price of the remaining untapped oil


The Potential for Renewables:

1. Simply drilling for more oil is a temporary fix to a larger problem. As it becomes harder to find new oil deposits, the price of oil will rise.
2. Energy from renewable sources (sun, wind, hydro, bio-fuels) currently supply 7% of our power. The potential for solar power alone is 86,000TW. This is many times more than we could ever consume.
3. The U.S. government has begun to offer huge rebates and incentives for those who have renewable systems installed (view rebate map here)
4. The cost of getting power from renewable sources is steadily decreasing and will intersect with the rising cost of fossil fuels within a few decades. This means that the cost of getting energy from the sun and wind will be cheaper than the cost of buying and refining oil.
5. While some states (like New York, California, and Florida) will help defray most of the cost of a new solar panel system, the U.S. as a whole has only 8% of the global market for investment in solar power. The leaders are Germany with 47% and Spain with 23%.


Energy Consumption Timeline 1775-2000

Energy Consumption Timeline

Food for thought: Fossil Fuels vs Green Energy

Renewable Energy or 'Green Energy' is different from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are so named because they were formed about 300 million years ago from the fossilized remains of plants and animals of the Paleozoic Era. This formation of hydrocarbon-based elements over a long period of time is called the Carboniferous period. During this time, sediment deposits over the remains of prehistoric plants and animals pressurized these remains, and over time the de-oxidized substances turned into coal, oil, and natural gas.

Since we're using resources that were created hundreds of millions of years ago, it is clear that such sources cannot form as quickly as we are using them. This is the main difference between fossil fuels and green energy.

Renewable energy is more eco-friendly, is readily available, and is completely sustainable - we will have sun and wind for as long as the earth exists! 		Going Green is easier than you might think


Sources of Energy

Where does our energy come from, and how much of that is renewable?► 		Pie Chart of Renewable Energy
Energy in the U.S. is 7% renewable. Only 1% of that seven is from Solar Power.

Potential for Solar

Currently solar power is a small blip on the macro level but it has the potential to grow to much more► 		Solar Energy Potential
One Terawatt (TW) is equal to one billion kilowatts (kW)

Power the world?

See what total area is needed for solar panels to supply 100% of the world's power► 		Solar Energy Potential
Covering the areas marked by black dots with Solar Panels would net the world ~18TW


What You Can Do Right Now:

1. Consider your house in context. Do you pay more than $130 a month for electricity? The more power you need, the more beneficial getting solar panels is going to be.
 
2. See what money is out there. Find out what federal and state rebates are available for you right now. Other than our map of state rebates, a good place to start is DSIREUSA.org which is the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (Funded by the Department of Energy).
 
3. Consult a solar energy map of the U.S. and see where your area stacks up with the rest of the country in sunlight potential. The easiest way to do this is by way of a free online estimator. If you live in New York, try out the state's online savings calculator run by NYSERDA. Otherwise try out FindSolar's savings calculator by simply entering in your zip code. These great resources are free to use and provide good ballpark estimates for getting solar power in your area. Be sure to adjust the 'assumed $ per Watt' to reflect which kind of solar panels you're going with. To compare the pricing and efficiency of solar panels, check out our chart.
 
4. Contact a local solar panel installer for an estimate. You can contact us for an estimate or find a list of other certified installers in your area by simply going to findsolar.com.
Also, be sure to check out one of the best free easy-to-read resources on getting solar at home is an online booklet (in PDF form) provided by NYSDERA that explains the entire process of getting Solar Panels on your home.