Solar Power Uses

There was a time (in the not-at-all distant past) when using solar power was an exotic practice that had few applications. Solar power uses were few and far between and environmentalists despaired of weaning our society off of the dependence it had built up for fossil fuels.

While it seemed as though the uses of solar power were frustratingly sparse here in America, some other nations around the world began to improvise ways to enhance the use of solar power in their industries. They researched how to use solar power in homes, and how to move away from non-renewable sources of energy. Soon their methods of use for solar power began to force worldwide trading partners (and competitors) to take notice.

The question that industrial engineers were pondering was no longer “how do we use solar power?” It evolved into “do we face a problem with not using solar power?” What had once been considered a scientific novelty was becoming essential in a world waking up to the fact that non-renewable resources were someday going to run out. Thinking “out of the box” no longer was limited to solar power home use: it was moving into the realm of industry.

Meanwhile, in large nations like China and India solar power use became much more prolific. As the European Union searched for solutions to their energy needs, they also saw solar as one possible answer among many options.

Here in America solar power uses began to increase and become more varied. Applications that had once relied purely on battery power were now beginning to be retrofitted to take advantage of advances in solar technologies. The emergency call boxes on California freeways began to sport small solar panels that recharged the batteries that powered the phones. A small step at first, but one that presaged the extensive use of solar that we see on the West Coast today.

And as for the world, these days what countries use solar power? What regions use solar power? And who is the largest user of solar power? Here are your win-a-bet-in-a-bar answers: There are dozens of nations that make extensive use of solar power these days, not the least of them being China, India, Germany, France, Norway, Algeria, and the UK.

While Europe and Asia are regions that use plenty of solar energy, use in Africa continues to grow at an amazing rate. One of the reasons for that is because Kenya is the world leader in per capita solar power systems. These are small systems, producing under 30 watts each, but more and more people in Kenya are enjoying lamp light at night because of these tiny solar systems!