Development of Solar Power

“The sun's light (and all light) contains energy. Usually, when light hits an object the energy turns into heat, like the warmth you feel while sitting in the sun. But when light hits certain materials the energy turns into an electrical current instead, which we can then harness for power” (Alivisatos). The method of transforming light into energy by human means is called PhotoVoltaics. Having this general knowledge, humankind created different devices made of a certain kind of material which could turn the solar power into energy; these devices are called PhotoVoltaics cells or solar cells. With those tiny cells, humans have created (for a much efficient use of this power) a much bigger device called solar panels. Solar panels are made of thousands of solar cells bound together and connected to a certain generator. When sunlight heats this panel, and thus the solar cells, these cells turn the light into energy which activates the generator which, in turn, will transform it into electricity which will be used to supply many things. However, this energy is still not much used because it is expansive to use. That’s why through the development of this technology, solar power will be a major energy source.

Nowadays, most of the energy we rely on is produced by fossil fuels. However, it is worldwide known that these energy sources involve many problems, of which the most important are their limitation and their impact on the environment in addition to their increasing cost. Indeed, as they are not actively renewed, it is assumed by common knowledge that fossil fuels are going to run out sooner or later, and then humanity will be deadlocked. Fewer fossil fuels sources are found every day, and this is going to be a problem in a ...

... middle of paper ...

...Years." National Geographic. National Geographic, 28 10 2013. Web. 2 Apr 2014

Lewis, Nathan S. Science, New Series, Vol. 315, No. 5813 (Feb. 9, 2007), pp. 798-801

Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Locke, Susannah. "How does solar power work?."SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, 20 10 2008. Web. 2 Apr 2014. .

Richardson, Bill. "Wake up to the reality of climate change."CNN. CNN, 31 03 2014. Web. 2 Apr 2014. .

Maeda, Martha. How to solar power your home: everything you need to know explained simply. Atlantic Publishing Company, 41-83. EBook.

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/stable/20038948

Schrank, Jeffrey. Deception Detection. Boston: Beacon Press, 1975