Gas Prices, Alternative Sources

by Nick Coons
Sep 29, 2004

This has been an increasingly popular topic. Two to three years ago, gas prices were pretty darn good. In fact, Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

had a habit of coming in under the national average. And while we're nowhere near those prices found in California, we're definitely up there.

Right now, the average in the state for a gallon of unleaded regular is at $2.00. And the reasons given for this seem suspicious. This past Friday, crude oil prices closed in at $50/barrel for the first time ever. One reason given for this is "disturbances in the middle east." Have there ever not been disturbances in the middle east? Is this a new phenomenon that has suddenly caused gas prices to rise?

As gas prices continue to increase, this tends to hit people negatively financially. Everyone that drives ends up paying more to travel the same distance. The price of goods (like groceries) increase because it costs more to ship them to the store. There are very few people that benefit from increased gas prices. However, there are a couple.

One of them is a car dealership, like Honda, that focuses fuel-efficient vehicles. As gas prices go up, so does their business. While people become more and more concerned about the cost of gas, they also consider alternatives more closely.

One alternative that doesn't seem to be considered often, at least not by the general public, is solar energy. Oddly enough, it would seem that Arizona

Arizona	(air-i'-ZON-u')
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada.

, with its over 300 days of sunshine per year, would be the perfect place for solar energy collection. The sun puts out about 1000 watts per square meter. The most efficient solar panels are only about 30% efficient, and fairly expensive. But it does offer an interesting possibility that should be pursued. Solar power can run your car while the sun is out and also charge the batteries that run your car during nights or on cloudy days. It would even be possible to build entire buildings that are powered by nothing by the sun.

Gas prices are already high right now, compared to where they have been recently. How will the prices change in the near future? Will we be paying $3.00, $4.00, or even $5.00 per gallon? It is in the best interest of the majority of the population to continue to develop other power sources, specifically ones that are easily renewable, or virtually unlimited.