Today mankind has managed to tame the wonders of technology in the hope of creating a society that offers unlimited convenience for all. We have come a long way from rubbing stones to cook our food. Our life as we know it would come to an abrupt standstill without electricity in our homes or fuel for our vehicles. In our quest to create the perfect world we have perhaps forgotten that everything comes at a price. Threats of global warming and ozone layer depletion have been a rude wake-up call. Also, the fuels we use so indiscriminately are not going to last forever. It is time that we stop for a moment, take a breather from this mad rush and ask ourselves this question; have we come too far too soon?

We have been gifted with an unlimited source of energy in the form of the Sun. Before we talk more about it, let’s first define solar energy. To put it simply it is the energy from the heat radiations that the sun emits. If we manage to capture and store this energy efficiently, the potential is limitless. Just to put things in perspective, around a hundredth of a millionth of a percent of Sun’s energy hits earth and it is enough to meet all our power needs many times over.  

The Sun’s heat reaches earth after passing through numerous obstacles like fog, pollutants etc. which considerably reduce its intensity. Moreover it spreads evenly over the earth’s surface, thus not reaching its full heating potential. We need a device that concentrates the Sun’s power to one particular area and stores it for use at a later point of time. Such a source is called a solar collector. A good example is glass; a great solar collector because it allows the Sun’s rays to pass through it and back into space but the heat from the Sun can rarely escape, thus leaving the space under the glass warm or hot from the exposure. This allows the area to be heated using solar power.

To further extract the maximum benefits in terms of renewability Thermal Mass Systems have been developed. They basically employ the process of using natural resources like, earth, water etc. to make efficient solar collectors. The benefits of thermal mass systems are limitless; they can help you to harness the power of the Sun long after nightfall. Efficient storage can also heat your home on cloudy days when the sun doesn't peak through the clouds at all.

The technology involved in deploying solar energy for extensive use is still in its nascent stage. The details need to be worked on because there is no dependable long-term storage capacitor for solar power just yet. Solar power is our future and we need to be ready to receive it with open arms. Right now solar power is only being used by those who are more aware and worried about the Earth's atmosphere when it is a concern that we should all be worried about.