Fatigue: A World Without Energy
Schools that receive state and federal funding should be equipped with solar panels. If residents were charged just a 3 cent tax every year, the U.S. government could easily pay for the solar panels and the slight upkeep. This could also be funded by placing taxes based on income brackets.
Q1: My idea would decrease the need of these almost completely. There are areas of the U.S. that do not receive as much direct sunlight each day as others, but the amount other states can produce would more than make up for their lack. The sun is in the sky every day, it is continuously producing energy. So why not use it instead of relying on a nuclear power plant that also produces radioactive waste (that cannot be destroyed). This would not be an instant thing though unfortunately. Like all great things, it takes time. But in ten years, we could effortlessly drop our dependency on non-renewable resources.
What should we do with the power plants when they are not needed? Party maybe?
Idea Description
I'm proposing that we switch to solar energy, collected from solar panels that will be installed on the rooftops of our local schools. I'm not talking about a few on each school, I'm referring to 10s to 100s. These panels and systems will be funded by the government through a slight tax put on each person. These tax brackets should be placed higher for those with higher incomes. The government even gives discounts for these, so why not?
With these panels, the schools and most of the surrounding community's electricity can be produce from clean, renewable resources. This would make switching from natural gas to electricity an obvious change for the better. The sun is there, why not use it?
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
I would begin by setting up a website. We could display information on the costs and benefits of the systems as well as how much energy could be produced by the different areas. Next, we would start talking to the mayors and governors, explain how the systems would be not only cheaper, but profitable at the same time. The system can easily produce enough energy to sell back to the electric companies and make enough profit to cover upkeep and new additions. With 10k, I'm sure we can turn heads and begin the process of change.
If we could get five schools to install full campus systems and the local & national news stations to start reporting stories....it would spread across the world.
Vote for it now.
We will always need a stable base source for electricity which is why power plants are necessary. What kind of power plants should be the question. Solar will be an increasingly useful power source for many areas though as panel efficiency is increased and costs lowered. As for selling power back, you would be selling to the power companies so we want them around.