Solar and wind energies are under the category of renewable energy, in which energy comes from an inexhaustible source when used. Solar energy is produced using solar panels that capture the rays of the sun and convert them, through photovoltaic generation, into electrical energy (Hinrichs, 377-378). To make things short, the photovoltaic generations happens with the help the photoelectric effect, in which electrons and holes are produced when light shines on the negative plate of a solar panel (Hinrichs, 378). The solar panel has two silicon layers, the first having an excess of electrons which produces a negative current, while the second layer has less electrons leaving holes empty which produces a positive current; when connected to each …show more content…
This generator produces a direct current that can be transformed into an alternating current using an inverter, or stored in a battery bank (Hinrichs, 392-393). In this assignment, we want to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of using solar and wind energy with or without connecting to the electrical grid in the perspective of: the owners and occupants of the household, the electrical power company, the economy as a whole, and the environment. This can be done by figuring out the production of each solar, wind, and the electrical grid with their respective costs, benefits, and disadvantages, then we decide which option (using solar and wind energy while disconnecting or remain connected to the electrical grid) is best for each of the perspective’s point of view. I believe this question is important as to see which option best satisfies all of the four …show more content…
According to the United States Department of Energy’s website, 1925 million metric tons of CO2 was emitted by the United States electrical sector with 71% from coal, 28% from Natural Gas, and 1% from petroleum; on the other hand, solar and wind energies are clean sources of electrical energy, meaning that they do not emit any pollution or greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. As for the economic standpoint, both solar and wind energy creates job for manufacturing, installing, and for maintaining the solar panels and wind turbines. Solar energy has created around 208,859 jobs as of November 2015 (The Solar Foundation), and wind energy has created 75,000 jobs in 2014 with the potential to create around 600,000 jobs by 2050 (United States Department of
Everyone is looking for a better way to have power. Solar power has very dependable technology, with little to no maintenance. It can bring finical savings by making more power a home owner may need and you can resell back the power company. Lastly help the environment by having no waste so less pollution and takes up unused space by putting them on to the roofs of the houses. In the end Home owners should try looking pass the initial price of Solar panels and see that this is a great way to produce energy that does not produce any carbon foot print.
Solar energy is energy taken from the light that reaches earth's surface from the sun. There are four different kinds of solar energy, which are active solar systems, passive solar systems, photovoltaic cells and concentrating power systems. An active solar systems is a system that captures solar energy by mechanical means. Common active solar systems are often in buildings or homes. Some examples are roof collectors and water heating. Low Intensity and high variability have limited the use of active solar energy in Canada. A pass...
The sun has been a major aspect of life since the beginning of time. People used many other forms of energy before electricity was discovered. There has been a debate over energy resources for years. Many people are worried about what current energy resources may be doing to the environment. Oil spills and nuclear power plant mishaps have only been a few accidents that have had a big impact on the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of energy sources that do not harm the environment and are still able to get the job done. Solar energy is one energy alternative that will insure the betterment of the country and, at the same time, protect the natural environment.
Photovoltaic electrical energy is the result of the “photoelectric effect”, a phenomena that occurs when metals are exposed to sunlight. The photovoltaic effect results in both a voltage and a current, the two ingredients for electricity’s generation. This is defined as a clean energy mechanism as the source of the energy is the sun and results in electrical energy being generated without the “products of combustion: Carbon Dioxide CO2” as is the case with fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil). It’s ad...
Palmieri, Nancy. “Off the Grid or on, Solar and Wind Power Gain.” USA Today 12 April 2006. Print.
Let me start with this. Wind power has 20, TWENTY times more potential than what the human population needs⁴.
In addition to the fact that solar, wind, and hydro power are local resources, they are also emission free resources. Emissions and pollution are a key concern with traditional power sources. The coal-fired plants that dominate U.S. energy production also produce more emissions than any other energy source. “Em...
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
According to Mr. Solar.com, “this type of energy production, known as the Photovoltaic Effect, is achieved by solar panels converting sunlight into energy. Solar panels are made up of several individual solar cells, composed of layers of silicon, phosphorous (which provides the negative charge), and boron (which provides the positive charge). Solar panels absorb the sunlight’s photons and by doing so initiate an electric current, producing electrons. The resulting energy generated from photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into an electric field generated by the solar cells, which then pull these free electrons into a DC or directional current.” This electricity then proceeds to a mechanical room beneath our house to a charge controller, which regulates the amount of energy sent to our 24V batteries to be stored.
The focus on wind energy will become the end of the world’s economy, electricity, and survivability if we continue to only focus on this source of power. Governments should decrease production of wind energy alone, and instead formulate a plan that consists of all “green” energy sources, which in turn will provide maximum power outage.
The photovoltaic effect, electricity can be created directly from sunlight. Some semi-conductor materials that are exposed to sunlight can create electron-hole pairs, which can be collected to produce electricity. This occurs when photons have energy above a certain threshold. These photons have shorter wavelengths. In silicon, the threshold for electron-hole production is in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Renewable energy is a type of energy where all its resources comes from water, sunlight and waste materials. Renewable energy is environmentally friendly because non-renewable resources for example, oil is not involved. This will eliminate the emission of sulfur dioxide into the air when the oil is burned and this will reduce global warming. The two types of renewable energy that I will be mentioning in this essay are, Hydroelectric power and Solar power. Hydroelectric power is a type of energy where it relies heavily on water to produce electricity. Solar power is a type of renewable energy where it relies heavily on UV rays for it to function.
sun energy is the source which the solar car depends on it for their energy like other device which run on solar power . In fact, we cannot benefit from the sun arrays directly, but we use solar panels or photovoltaic arrays, which consist of hundreds or thousands of neatly arranged solar cells. These panels collect the sunlight and then convert it into electric energy. Solar cell is made of semiconductor materials such as silicon and alloys of indium, gallium and nitrogen. Its efficiencies can reach to 20%. This percentage is converted to electric energy from the total solar energy which fells on the panels. The electrical current generates during the energetic movement between layers of solar cells.
First of all, solar energy is the energy produced when the sun heats the solar panel. Thus, when the sun heats the panels, it produces electricity. Solar power produces energy during the day and can store energy for the night. Solar power does not pollute the environment. However, it has high maintenance cost, and it takes a lot of land space.
Wind is a form of solar energy. The term wind energy describes the process by which the wind is used to generate electricity or mechanical power. Wind turbines convert mechanical energy from the wind into electrical power. Wind turbines usually have three main parts. There are blades that connect to a central hub, a box behind the blades that contains the generator, and a long stem that connects to the ground. The way how it works is that the wind turns the blades, which spins a shaft that connects to a generator making electricity. After the electricity is produced it is sent through transmission lines to a substation that is sent to business and homes. For the sake of our planet, we must promote a renewable energy economy. Wind power can be a foundation of that sustainable energy future because it provides jobs in states that are building wind turbines, is a renewable energy source, and does not damage our environment. The environment will not be damaged by the pollution, the natural resources will not be used up, and there won’t be generating of hazardous wastes. Welcoming wind energy today will lay the foundation for a healthy tomorrow that will affect everyone in the United States. There are obstacles and challenges that will make it more difficult, but the environmental impact is well worth it to invest more money into wind energy.