by Rayne Britt

Created on: May 12, 2008

Solar energy is an excellent source of natural energy but it is not now, nor will it ever be, a viable option to relieve our oil dependency.

Fuel and home energy are probably the two most known uses of oil. In those two areas, solar power could probably be helpful. But oil is also used in paving roads, something sunlight can't help with. Another use is making automobiles. Even an automobile that uses something other than oil as a fuel still requires oil for its construction. Many car parts such as bumpers include oils in their building process as it is common in plastics and plastic-based synthetic materials. Changing a vehicle to use solar energy (which has been done) only changes what powers it. It cannot change its construction. Automobiles of all kinds will always require oil to make them. And the roads that they roll on will always require oils to construct them.

Look also at the amount of oils used in your house for purposes other than heating. Common household items that use oils in their making are plastic containers, plastic wrap, paper cups, pipes for sinks and toilets, window frames and even your CD collection! It's in your television, stereo, Ipod, MP3 player, DVD player, DVD's, your X-Box and the games you put in it. You can't escape the need for oil.

Solar energy can go a long way in aiding with reducing oil as a heating source for homes. It can help in powering new vehicles. But it can't replace oil. And the more homes built, the more vehicles constructed, the more oil that will be used in manufacturing them. All these fuel alternatives that will make us less dependent on oil for gas use will only increase our oil dependency as we increase the amount of things we own.

Instead of focusing on how we can stop using oil (because that will never happen), we need to focus on decreasing our use of foreign oil. When Jimmy Carter was president, he closed the great majority of our oil-drilling businesses. Along with destroying the machinery, he poured concrete down many of the oil wells making them unusable without spending millions in clearing and cleaning them out. We also send most of the oil we do produce in this country to other countries instead of using it ourselves. We are not in this gas hike because we went to war. We are in it because of the short foresight of the previous generation. Democrats aren't the answer. Republicans aren't the answer. New fuels aren't the answer. The answer is to re-open closed oil wells in America and to dig new ones. The answer is to keep the oil made in America in America. It will cost us in the short run, but it will save us billions in the long run. It will create jobs. It will generate money.

Our need for oil isn't going to go away because we start using sunlight for fuel and heat. Our need for oil for our day to day lives will never lessen. But the cost of it could.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic #Common_plastics_and_their_uses
http://en.wikipedia.o rg/wiki/Jimmy_carter

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