Our newest and youngest member is Ashley Hardy, a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.  Her assignment was to write a technical paper and she chose solar power as the topic.  I have posted it unedited below.  I'm sure her teacher and classmates will be impressed, don't you agree?  - Jeff Shaw    

alright..it's finished!!yay!! here it is...:)thank you so much for all the help that you've given me. I appreciate everything that you've done, and I hope we will do well on it!!:)thanks again -ashley
Ashley Hardy
Mrs. Cao/2nd hour
12/20/02

Abstract
Solar power will be the next step in the future of energy. In the next twenty years, people around the world will be using the sun to produce their energy. The recent awareness of our current, environmental hazardous energy resources has heightened the popularity of solar powered energy. By using this renewable resource, people will be able to produce electricity and heat their homes without producing environmental problems or high electric bills. If well accepted by the population, solar powered energy could change the way the world works.

Present
Today the world is in need of a source of renewable energy. The energy that we use today is non-renewable. Once it is used, it is gone. The natural gas plants produce the gas that we use for our heaters and other appliances throughout our homes. But due to the constant fluctuation of gas prices, the natural gas plants turn to coal power to produce energy when the price of gas increases. 
The power plants used today create environmental problems. River Bend, the nuclear power plant in St. Francisville would be a hazard to the citizens in and near the area if there were to be an accident. Environmentalists are not in favor of the nonrenewable resources used today. They create air pollution, which can cause the depletion of the ozone layer. 
There are other attempts to use alternate types of energy that are more environment friendly. In cities near bodies of water, such as; Colorado or Michigan, people produce hydro powered energy. In the western states, electricity is generated by windmills. Although we have a long way to go to help our environment and conserve our energy resources, these efforts have been successful in moving us closer to our goal.

History 
The date that the transmission of electric power began is controversial, but it is said to have been August 26, 1895. It began in New York through which the waters of Niagara Falls flowed through two high-speed turbines. They were attached to two 5,000-horsepower generators. Most of the electricity was produced at approximately 2200 volts that was used at a local factory to manufacture aluminum and carborundum. By the next year a section was increased to 11,000 volts and was used to transmit the electricity for lighting and streetcars. 
As technology advanced, the twentieth century opened new doors for electricity. After World War II, the years were enjoyed by the utility industry because the demand for electricity and electrical appliances rapidly increased. As a result, companies scrounged for capacity for their customers use. 
Also in the twentieth century, Samuel Insull increased the size of steam turbine-generators. This technology used fossil fuels to convert raw energy into electricity, and expanding the size it delivers more power but at lower unit costs. These developments are the basis for the electric energy that we use today. Although some efficiency changes have been made over the years, the concept is still the same. 

Future
In twenty years, solar power will submerge the American society into a more cost efficient production of energy for electricity and heating of homes. This will be a major factor to the accomplishment of independently powered homes. Having an independently powered home allows one to supply their own energy instead of relying on a company to produce their electricity. Therefore, the home will be equipped with solar panels aligned on the roof to provide the energy needed. 
Along with this new technology, comes a change within the household. Fluorescent light bulbs will be used in order to decrease the amount of energy produced. Currently, lamps use a 60-watt light bulb. A fluorescent light bulb will reduce the energy by one-fourth using a 13-watt bulb. This example is just one of many changes to come.

Breakthroughs
This technology does not exist today due to the lack of knowledge known about this process. We do not have the money to fund a process of this magnitude that could create further debt among the nation. 
They have established a law that can ease the process of creating the energy system. The Net Metering Law has been passed with the exception of twelve states, Louisiana among them, in order for installation and other advantages to be used in the Renewable Energy (RE) System. This law has been passed and allocates the installation of the small, grid-connected RE systems. This installation reduces electric bills, and allows the excess electricity being produced to return to the grid. There are advantages to net metering and among them is that they can use and produce the renewable energy without batteries overloading the storage. New inverters have been created that conform to the National Electric Code (NEC) and all other national standards to ensure the safety of this system. 

Consequences
Currently, solar power energy costs are high because this technology is new to the market. An upfront payment is needed when buying a solar power system. This is a problem because it will cost thousands of dollars to create a system for the home with the amount of money that is needed. 
With electrical companies, the payment is due monthly which is a more reasonable to accommodate a middle class families income of today. The Director of Louisiana Solar Energy Society (LSES), Jeff Shaw, says electrical power is compared to the upper class buying a car and the middle and lower class riding the bus. When riding a bus one must buy a token everyday, similar to a monthly payment to an electrical company. When buying a car one pays money up front, which is similar to buying a solar power system. In this way he compares the levels of classes with the process of payment for electrical energy of our homes. In the future, this problem will diminish because the cost will not be a concern due to the more efficient building techniques of advancement of technology.