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supplement and conserve nonrenewable resources in the state.

Energy Solutions and Conservation

State and federal programs and initiatives are supporting the efforts to implement renewable energy sources to power surrounding areas. Through continued research, solar tiles have become cheaper to produce and more effective in harnessing solar energy. Government sponsored programs such as The Million Solar Roofs initiative plans for the installation of solar panels on over 1 million buildings by 2010. Another government implementation, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act regulates the energy efficiency of appliances used in the home. Along with these programs and energy conservation acts, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy target power plants for improvements in energy efficiency (Chapter 18).

On a local and individual level, homeowners have also take measures to conserve energy in their own lives and homes. From a homeowner's standpoint, the use of solar power can be applied in different ways to help conserve energy and save long-term cost. Active solar water heating allows sunlight to flow in through solar collectors or panels mounted on the roof of a house. The sunlight heats the fluid in these panels which then passes through to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger then heats water which flows into a storage tank for use in the house. Passive solar heating incorporates home design and ventilation, insulation, and other energy efficient steps such as dual-pane windows to establish passive solar heating and cooling of a house that could reduce heating costs up to 50%. Photovoltaic cells placed on the roof of a house can convert solar energy into electricity to power lights and appliances in the house (Chapter 18). This coupled with the improved technology for energy conservation found in new household appliances; homeowners can do their part to conserve energy in their household.

The Future of Energy Conservation

In planning for the future, efforts to conserve our natural resources and move forward with the implementation and development of alternative and renewable energy resources is a must in order to preserve the environment and its resources for future generations. A concentrated effort is required with both state and federal backing to diversify current energy sources with renewable energy. This would slow the amount of nonrenewable resources needed to generate energy and cut down on the pollution that these fossil fuels create.

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