Jeff, Andressa, Kristy

 Energy harnessed from the sun  Cleanest, most abundant renewable energy resource available 1. Water heating 2. Cooling and Ventilation 3. Water treatment 4. Electricity 5. Agriculture

 1860’s – development started because coal was expected to become scarce  1900’s – development stagnated because the availability & production of coal and petroleum increased  1970’s – demand increased because oil prices skyrocketed - federal research programs were started – Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House  1980’s – demand decreased because petroleum prices decreased – research funding was cut – Ronald Reagan removed solar panels on the White House  2000’s – demand increased and technology advancements were made because of growing climate change concerns – research funded was reinstated – George W. Bush reinstalled solar panels and Barack Obama added more.  Future – the industry is expected to grow as demand for renewable energy increases.

 Clean  Renewable  Abundant  Cost effective  Low maintenance  Power in rural areas

 Uses lots of land  HIGH start up costs  Unreliable weather conditions  Storage issues

 Increase funds for research and technology innovation to increase production of more efficient and cost effective solar panels.  Give tax credits to solar energy startup companies.