Investigative Essay: The Use Of Solar Energy

Investigative question

How beneficial is my invention to the community and much money could it save?

Research

The price of electricity has gone up dramatically in the past few years due to a shortage of electricity in South Africa. Most of our country relies on Eskom to provide the electricity required to run a home. Most of our country has also experienced power outages, also known as load shedding. The reason for these power outages, stated by Eskom, was that the current infrastructure could not meet the demands of electricity in the developing country.

The sun is free and natural alternative source of energy. Although the production does require the use of raw materials and energy, solar power’s environmental impact is minimal. The technology does not release any carbon, methane or other harmful gases into the atmosphere and does not require large-scale mining or drilling operations. The use of solar panel produces no pollution, no noise and no hazardous substances.

The solar power industry results in the creation of thousands of jobs. The production of the solar panels is just a small part of the industry that requires contributions from installation technicians, salespeople, battery-storage designers, etc.

Hypothesis

The use of solar power is more beneficial to people and to the environment, and saves more money than the use of fossil fuelled power.

Method

1. Making the house:

• The material used was measured, cut and stuck together to build the small house.

• The door and windows were cute out.

• A circuit diagram was drawn, showing the placement of all the components.

• All the necessary components were gathered.

• The wires were soldered (process where a metal is melted and put onto the wires to connect the wires t...

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.... The crime rate in South Africa is extremely high. People in informal settlements have the right to a safe and secured home. My invention benefits the way in which these people live. They now know that their homes are protected.

My invention saves people money. The sun does all the work. It is completely free after the costs of installation.

My invention could also lead to the creation of jobs. Low cost developments – people are needed to service the area, people are needed to go into an area to install the solar panels, and people may be needed to fix any solar panel problems. This creates jobs.

Conclusion

My conclusion is that although the cost of installing solar panels may be higher than and/or close to the yearly cost for electricity, solar power will save money in the long run and is more beneficial to the environment as it does not emit harmful substances.