Fossil fuel versus solar power. A tale of two energies. Energy comes to spaceship earth from the sun. Virtually everything - plants, animals and even the earth itself - absorbs the sun’s energy.
1. Over geological time extreme pressure on the remains of long dead organisms - or fossils - gradually converts the absorbed energy into fossil fuel.
2. Humans expend resources in the never ending search for the fossil fuel deposits of coal, gas and oil.
3. Even more resources are used to extract the fossil fuels from the earth.
4. The fuel is shipped or piped to be processed or refined.
5. The final product is shipped again to retail marketers then sold as fuel for factories, homes, autos, trucks etc. or to power plants that convert the fossil fuel to electricity that is transmitted over power lines.
Solar
1. Photovoltaic cells are manufactured.
2. They are shipped and installed to convert the sun’s direct energy to electricity that can be used on the spot, stored in batteries or transmitted back to the grid over power lines.