Our climate is changing. Regardless of whether society wants to accept that or not, there is scientific evidence that proves climate change is occurring. Furthermore, we can deduce that climate change is largely caused by excess amounts of CO2 and other pollutants (CO2 equivalents) in the atmosphere. We can no longer turn a blind eye to our constant pollution; the time has come to reduce our waste and find new ways to produce clean energy to fuel our needs. The more options we have to accomplish these two things, the better off we will be. In order to really make an impact, we must make these goals attainable to the general public. Let us not mistake this for some other problem the government has to deal with. The problem of climate change is everyone’s problem; therefor everyone must play a part in reducing pollution.
When pollution comes to mind it is quickly followed by thoughts about our transportation sector. For one reason or another, some people will always feel that they need a car. Yes, a great deal of the population is happy to use public transportation, however there are currently 1.3 people for every car in the US (“Can the world handle this many wheels?“). In other words, 10 out of 13 people have a car. Electric cars are helping to reduce the amount of pollution from cars, however they can be greatly improved.
If electric cars are charged with electricity that comes from a coal fired power plant, they are still producing pollution indirectly. There are a few preliminary models of electric vehicles that utilize solar panels for charging, however these can also be improved. There is technology that has been developed that utilizes quantum dots and nanotechnology to capture the suns rays and convert them into power (more on the basics of quantum dot technology can be found here). This technology is currently being used for filters that are placed on windows. If we can alter this technology and create a skin that coats the car entirely we would be able to get rid of the solar panels that are currently placed on top of the solar powered cars. Additionally, the quantum dot skin coating the entire car would allow for more energy to be produced due to the increased surface area. Additionally, if we could make it possible to load all the unused power created by the cars (for example when the car is parked) onto the grid, we would have more clean energy available for everyone.
As I said in the beginning, climate change is everyone’s problem. We must all take personal responsibility in reducing pollution and switching over to clean energy use. Solar power cars that are able to load unused power onto the grid would be a huge step in the right direction.