ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: The Politics of Alternative Energy

By Jonathan Gal

When we think of alternative energy we automatically imagine solar, wind and bio fuels. These technologies will eventually save the environment because they will help to greatly reduce, and in some cases entirely eliminate, the emissions that come from energy production and consumption.

This obviously means that they are such beneficial technologies that they should be at the forefront of government, corporate and business investment and research. Interestingly, they really aren't being explored and examined with the kind of passion that might be expected.

Why is that? Well, there is a lot of money at stake where alternative energies are concerned and hundreds of billions of dollars in profits that will quickly and inevitably evaporate when those technologies are readily available to most people. Consider the record-breaking profits posted by the leading oil companies since the end of 2001. As the cries for more alternative energies reach a fever-pitch, they are charging higher and higher prices for auto and home heating supplies. To many it would appear that these massive corporations are "cashing in" while there is still time to do so, and the politics of alternative energy demonstrate that the oil companies and their affiliates are being allowed to do that.

Of course it isn't all about oil either. There are also the energy producers who pour unbelievable amounts of pollutants into the air - this is from such locations as coal burning power plants. The politics of alternative energy have helped to create systems in which these corporations are permitted to operate their shoddy factories in exchange for the purchase of energy credits. They purchase credits from cleaner suppliers, such as nuclear plants, and use them to "balance" their pollution.

Clearly, this is totally illogical, but that is the system that now stands in the United States. Luckily there is an ever-increasing awareness on the part of the general public, and now millions of consumers have become aware of their own "carbon footprint". They understand the need to do more than just conserve energy, and are investing in alternative energies themselves.

Millions of homeowners install solar lighting, solar panels and wind turbines on their property. Millions more are purchasing "carbon offsets" which provide them with a tax deduction, but also with the knowledge that their contribution will fund a solar energy program, a wind farm or some other alternative energy effort. Finally, millions are purchasing vehicles that operate on bio fuels or are "hybrids" that use little to no gasoline.

Jonathan Gal is a solar lighting expert and owner of YCA Solar Lights, an organization dedicated to promoting clean, energy efficient solar lighting technology. To find out more about how solar technology is changing the way we live, especially with respect to lighting, you are invited to visit: http://www.ycasolarlightstore.com.

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