Solar energy is solar radiation or sunlight that’s given off by the sun. Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect which is how electricity can be generated from sunlight, but the solar cell wasn 't invented until 1941 by Russell Ohl. which creates electricity or heat. Solar power cells convert solar radiation or sunlight into electricity, using the energy of photons to make an electric current within the solar panel. The electric current then flows out of the solar panel into an inverter that converts the DC power into an AC power, which is then used by the population. There are two types of these solar panels, there’s a passive and an active. Passive solar panels convert solar radiation into usable heat …show more content…
The main reason solar energy is getting so big is because of the advantages of the use of solar energy. The main advantage of solar energy is that the power source is infinite unlike fossil fuels which are limited. Scientist currently predicts that in the next forty to fifty years fossils fuels will expire. Also solar energy is cleaner, rather than fossil fuels, solar energy doesn’t give off pollution and also is water efficient. Nuclear power plants and gas power plants use up so much water to cool the plant down, solar panels however doesn’t need water for anything. Solar plants can also be set up in remote areas where other types of plants can’t be set. Also solar panels don’t need maintenance to run, it works on its own, besides annual cleaning to clean the solar …show more content…
Some solar panels only produce electricity when the sun is shining but scientist thing they may have a solution to change that. Scientist made carbon nanotubes which are atom-thin layers of carbon rolled into small tubes which absorbs the suns radiation and stores it. It can only generate heat, not electricity, but in the near future scientists believe that they can change that. It’s a major improvement over not being able to use anything when the sun isn’t shining. According to defense one, MIT/ Harvard team is currently looking into other types of photoswitching and under laying layers to possibly increase the amount of energy the carbon nanotubes can hold. Also the use of solar panels in wintry climates is the same, if snow covers the solar panel then the efficiency of the panel is highly reduced. The solar panel would still work but not work efficient enough. This problem can be solved with a tracker, which is a device that tilts and move towards the sun, which improve efficiency but cost tens of thousands of dollars. So places like Michigan that causes a problem in the winter time, but when its 30 degrees or lower and sunny outside solar panels tend to work better. Solar panels are built to last the most extreme weather conditions and last up to twenty to thirty years or more with annual cleaning and maintenance. Solar panels are very resistant and
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.
The effectiveness of PV module depends on how perpendicular the sunrays fall on the PV. If PV is facing toward the sun, it produces maximum power. Stationary solar panels cannot face toward the sun all day as sun moves. However, maximum radiation depends on two other aspects of stationary solar panels. One is the direction and the other is the tilt angle of the panels. A meter long panels can generate maximum of 1000W, if sunlight strikes directly on it. Few factors affect the sunlight strikes a PV panel. When the sunlight passes through the air, air molecules such as dust, vapor, clouds, volcanoes can absorb some of the radiation. This absorbed part of radiation is known as diffuse solar radiation. Atmospheric conditions have great effect on solar radiation. The solar radiation can decrease 10% to 100% depending on
well. People are starting to question solar energy like is it polluting the earth? Is it really better
Although solar seems to be excluded from most of the disadvantages listed above tied to using renewable energy sources, it still has two big main disadvantages. The first being that, it is impossible to shut off. The fact that there is no way to shut these solar panels off makes them prone to catch fire. This is harmful to the place they are located. It is especially bad when people put them on their roofs which can cause house fires. Another big issue with solar is that it takes a lot of room for the amount of energy that it produces. According to the U.S. Energy Information Association to produce 1 MW of solar energy, assuming that your panels are located in price sunny locations, it takes 7.4 acres of solar panels. When you compare it to the nuclear reactors that produce on average 770MW for approximately 500 acres of land. To produce the same amount of energy as one single nuclear reactor you would need approximately 5698 acres of land which is 11 times the amount of space that nuclear
Did you ever think about where your drinking water comes from? The water that we drink was initially sea water that has undergone a scientific process called desalination. Desalination is a chemical process in which natural compounds are separated from water, making the water clean and drinkable. Traditionally, sea water is propelled through hydraulic pumps which create a flow to separate the water from the sea salt. Hydraulic pumps require certain chemicals that are harmful to humans and these chemicals sometimes are cross-contaminated in the drinking water being produced. Personally, I don’t want to drink chemicals that are threatening to my life and that cause harm to the environment. Many people would be uncomfortable if they knew what chemicals their drinking water may contain, especially if their children also consume it. The major drinking water producers should rely on solar energy to desalinate water which is a newer, cleaner, and safer alternative energy source.
Everyone on earth is familiar with solar power; it is the energy that the sun gives to the earth and is used by various organisms in various ways. Plants use solar energy to make food; cold-blooded animals use it to get their body temperature high enough to function while warm blooded animals use it for warmth. In the history of mankind, solar power has been critical. However, it is only in later years that the human race has acquired the technology necessary for collecting and storing solar energy. Solar panels and their attendant hardware make it possible to harness the energy, store it and transport it. The equipment has now become so small in some cases that one can wear it on his or her person. The paper shows
In this modern fast paced world that we live in, there are many issues that are looked over, energy is one of these. As a world, we are dependant on dwindling fossil fuel supplies and take for granted electricity, oil, and gas. There are four completely renewable sources of energy around us that should be used and developed, they are: wind, growing plants, flowing water, and the sun. These sources of energy are the ones we should be tapping, because they are reliable and renewable. Harnessing the suns energy is the most certain and ultimate energy source. Looking at a brief history and some facts about solar energy, a glimpse of the future can be seen, a future not dependant on fossil fuels.
Nanotechnology is the answer for solar energy. With electrical device being used 24/7 and electricity on high demand, we need to constantly produce energy. Nanotechnology can help rise efficiency up to 40% which allows a normal panel module to produce around 30 watts per square foot. That’s 1.3 mWh for one acre. With this advancement in the process of development, soon there won’t be any energy crisis.
I have already written about the obvious benefits of going solar. There are other benefits as well that decrease the impact on our earth over time. Solar panels and battery banks have a life of 25-35 years and don't need anything more than general cleaning, snow removal and monthly water filling. Solar energy is the cleanest and purest form of energy, allowing for cleaner air overall in our environment. There is great hope for a lot more solar panels to be installed worldwide.
Solar panels are systems that generated heat or electricity by using the energy to be carried ray of the sun. Solar energy panels absorbs the sun’s energy with the aid of dark surfaces located inside panels. After obtained heat, water is heated by transferring water by solar energy panel.
Solar energy is a renewable natural source of power that can be used to refuel vehicles but can also heat and light homes; which can potentially enable users to not rely on public utility companies to supply power. The creation of solar energy requires little maintenance. Once the solar panels have been installed and they are brought up to maximum efficiency there is little else to do to ensure they are in working order. As governments are doing their part by encouraging citizens to recycle, they also realize the importance of creating renewable sources of electricity; worldwide and locally they offer rebates and monetary incentives to those who install solar panels and solar hot water systems. Solar energy facilities can generate electricity whether there is sun shining or not. As the advancements in solar technology and the price of solar electricity begins to go down, tra...
This kind of power is completely free, right? Why should we put a lot of expense on other sources of energy, when there is a complete free and healthy power? It is evident that solar energy is a healthy source of energy, which will help stop global warming altogether, but it is economically efficient to switch everything to solar energy. Solar energy is capable of becoming the world's future power supply because, it is renewable, eco-friendly, and extremely efficient when strategically placed. Solar energy is clean energy that does not affect our environment.
The Earth captures around 342 W/m2 of energy from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which the atmosphere reflects about 77 W/m2 and will absorb around 68 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. Therefore, the Earth’s surface is receiving, on average, about 197 W/m2 of solar radiation annually. This amount of energy received is roughly more than 10,000 times the amount of all energy humans consume per year. This energy can be used to produce electricity or heat. This energy source is not being used to it’s potential considering how much effort would come into effect to store and transport this energy.
Regarding to solar power, Mistry claims that although the solar power does not generate pollution, it has a lot of costs. To built solar panels with a photovoltaic equipment has high costs. For instance, a photovoltaic system just for a home can cost around $35,000 (Kumar, 2012). However, if our goal for the future is to get a healthy environment, switch fossil fuels for solar power might be the best choice to achieve that goal. According to Kumar (2012), Solar power is a clean and renewable energy so, it decreases the dependency on fossil fuel and also reduces the air pollution. When the sun heats the panel, it generates clean energy which does not pollute the environment. All in all, the costs of solar power might not be applicable when it is certainly the best way for having a clean