Sense: The electricity for our lamps, laundry machines, dishwashers, TVs and PCs has to be generated somewhere. The big power stations in the world burn fossil coal, oil or natural gas. Many European countries also have nuclear power stations. The world reserves of fossil fuels are big but they will not last for ever. The same holds for Uranium. Burning fossil fuels generates huge amounts of air pollution alongside greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide). Highly radioactive waste of nuclear plants will remain deadly dangerous for tens of thousands of years. Nuclear safety is a big issue. Who wants a nuclear power station in his backyard? Nuclear, apart from not being renewable, is very, very expensive.

The images shown on the right, borrowed from the BBC website, show the increase of the mean temperature of the globe according to two scenarios: scenario #1, 'business as usual' (highest likely emissions) and scenario #2, 'doing something' (like adhering to the Kyoto agreement and the follow-up) (lowest likely emissions). Running out of oil would bring catastrophe. Running flat is going to happen very soon (in five years, if we believe those who favor the Hubbert theory) or soon (in twenty-five years according to the optimists in the US Geological Survey). North Sea oil is in decline. Imports from the Middle East are on the rise. Europe would be much better off if it would be less dependent on the oil sheiks of the Middle East and the oil czars of Russia. We can because Europe has the brains, techology and dedication. Renewable energy is the answer: wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and in the UK: tides and waves. Read the UK's 2004 White Paper.

Action, action, action: What can a private person do? The BBC-graph tries to convey the message that 'business as usual' (or, just doing nothing) may badly hurt us in the medium long run because of oil depletion, and it will hurt our children because of carbon dioxide emissions induced world temperature increase. One thing seems clear: the era of cheap energy is over. Bills will steeply rise. You and I will have to dig deep in our pockets to maintain the lifestyle we enjoy at the moment. Most efficient for us, the environment and not to forget our wallet is saving energy. Plenty of options exist: insulation, high efficiency heaters, heat pumps, triple pane glass, and don't forget your car. You will find plenty of information about saving energy on the website of greenchoices. If the energy saving options in your direct environment are exhausted you may consider generating your own energy. The common homeowner has two options: wind and solar. If you live in a town or city, goin' solar may be the only option. Consider the sun as a means to generate electricity and hot water. I created this website just for this purpose.

Consider the energy coming from the sun: Our sun is an inexhaustable source of energy. In terms of physics we are basking in the radiation emitted by a giant nuclear fusion reactor at a comfortably safe distance of 150 million kilometers. A tremendous amount of energy is radiated towards us, day after day, year after year. A fraction of this energy hits the Earth, warming the soil and atmosphere, causing the weather patterns and making us happy.

In Western Europe inclusing the Britsih Isles, the sun shines on average 1,000 hours per year. This energy can be utilized in solar heaters and in solar electricity panels, even in Britain and Holland. On this web site we are dealing mostly with solar electricity. The official name is "photovoltaic electricity" and the panels that perform the conversion are called "photovoltaic panels" (PV). Current PV panels convert 14-15% of the solar energy into electricity and they also produce some electricity on cloudy days. The conversion efficiency is steadily improving. The Sanyo company has announced (March, 2005) new, commercially available cells with an unprecedented 21% conversion efficiency. Solar cells made for space applications may even achieve 33% conversion efficiency.

To fulfill its pledge to the Kyoto agreement, the European Union needs to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. To fulfill this goal, a substantial part of the electricity needs should be generated via environmentally friendly methods from renewable sources. These methods are geothermal, hydroelectric, wind, waves, tides and... solar power. When you are a homeowner in a big city it can be pretty difficult to drill your own well, build your own hydroelectric dam or construct your own windmill. In contrast, the installation (by yourself or by a certified company) of a solar device on the roof of your home is quite easy. The only thing you need is a spot on the roof of your home that faces the sun.

Rule of thumb: four PV panels of one square meter each, facing south, can supply about 10% (280-320 kWh) of the yearly electricity consumption of the average household.