Solar Energy has a bright future.  Let's look at the big picture.  Because of the increased costs of fossil fuel and concerns about energy security and independence more and more people are seriously looking into using Solar Energy.  The U.S. can no longer ignore its energy disorder.  For more than a century we have built our society around the idea that cheap, reliable, ubiquitous energy is necessary to maintain a thriving economy.  Because of increased competition for oil from China and India we are seeing fossil fuels moving from a buyer's market to a seller's market.  The Hubbard Curve developed by petroleum geologists and consultants to the petroleum industry shows that increased world energy consumption has raised the price signal.  Oil sets the standard for all energy costs and uses.  Like a tide, all other energy sources rise and fall in relation to oil.  The U.S. must begin to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy to remain viable.

The BP oil disaster in the gulf of Mexico is a harsh reminder of the environmental and social costs of our dependence on fossil fuels.  As oil becomes more difficult to produce we face tough decisions.  Solar energy generates almost no pollution.  The U.S. spends more than $700 billion on foreign oil every year.  European and Japanese solar energy development has led to cheaper more efficient systems.  These technologies are migrating to the U.S.  We are also beginning to invest in our own solar energy industry.   There is no doubt that the solar industry is maturing.  Because of market forces solar energy is becoming affordable to the middle class for the first time.  Even utilities are interested.  For the first time in a century many companies are rethinking energy strategy and hedging against fossil fuels.