Our oil-ran civilization’s days are numbered, as experts predict a total depletion of 90% of all oil sources in the near future (read: next couple of centuries). Although one might say there’s still enough time for us to find a viable alternative energy solution, we need to think ahead and actually make these alternative prospects work and possibly apply them on a global scale, such as with oil. Out of the many candidates that could replace oil as a global energy source, solar energy seems to be, by far, the favorite.

Even since ancient times, humans have tried to make use of solar energy. The thought of using the ground as a source of continuous advancement for our civilization was not enough for mankind, thus we turned to the skies. And thank God, there’s something worth turning to out there, since the Sun is the biggest, most powerful source of energy known to this date. The numbers revolving around solar energy speak for themselves: the Sun produces 35,000 times more energy than what we currently use today and although not all of this energy will be usable (or at least not at first), it should prove a lot more than what we need.

Nowadays, solar energy is used on a relatively small scale, mostly because the technology is new and it’s still in an experimental state. Although no one has managed to produce a system that could capture huge amounts of solar energy, this alternative source has already found uses in “small stuff” such as home heating systems, powering experimental solar cars, supplying smaller power plants and powering some space ship parts. It might not seem much yet, but then again no true civilization breakthrough happened at the snap of the fingers. Experts predict that solar energy will take an increasingly important role as a global energy source during the course of this century and by the next century, we can already expect it to start replacing oil as our main energy source. However, this “transition” from oil to solar energy does not depend strictly on technology, but also on the willingness of the world to change. Given the fact that it would be a much cheaper power source than oil and it would also be a lot cleaner and less damaging to the environment, solar energy has every chance of being awarded such willingness from the global opinion, state governments and the leading energy companies alike.