The search for cost effective and efficient renewable energy is becoming an increasingly important area of study. According to Sampaio, “with the increase of population and technologic and economic development, human beings need more energy to create a better life environment.” Fossil fuel energy sources, while cost effective, have major environmental impacts that add to global warming, acid rain, and climate change. One renewable resource that is sustainable and readily abundant is solar energy, which is a reasonable and readily available replacement for fossil fuel energy sources globally. Solar energy is considered renewable because it is a natural source of energy that is not depleted when used, as it will take Harvesting and converting the energy delivered to Earth by the sun makes sense in many regions of the world. The sun is Earth’s main source of energy and is the original source of energy stored in fossil fuels. Rather than harvest dirty fuels that take millions of years to form, why not go to the primary source of that energy and find a way to harvest it like the plants that formed into fossil fuels did? The process of converting light energy into electricity or heat is called photovoltaics. According to Hosenuzzaman, “photovoltaics is the direct conversion system that converts sunlight into electricity without the help of machines or mobile devices.” Solar radiation is converted to electricity in materials that are called semiconductors. The material that is
Solar energy is a renewable energy source meaning that the energy is generated by the sun. The way that solar produces energy is by the sun's rays that reach earth and converts into heat and electricity. Its transported by photovoltaic ( pv devices ) and solar thermal electric power plants. Examples of this energy source is : solar powered window blinds, bulbs, refrigerators, radios, calculators,
The greatest energy that can be produced by the sun is electricity. Photovoltaics, or solar cells, capture the sun and convert it into electricity. Solar cells were discovered by the Europeans back in the 1870’s when they used selenium to develop the telegraph. They found that when light hits selenium it would produce and electrical current. Soon enough there were many scientists and engineers working on photovoltaic systems. Silicon and Selenium proved to be the two best elements to conduct electricity when light hits them. Photovoltaic systems (PV cell) work by converting the suns light into electricity. A semi conducting material absorbs the sunlight, that energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, this allows the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. The further development of solar cells can be attributed to the satellite industry. Solar cells were expensive and there was no use for them until satellites came. Because it is impractical to tether satellites it became important to develop solar energy at any cost that would power these satellites. This created a sustainable market for solar power, the first of its kind.
When all of our natural fossil fuels are low or gone, solar energy will be one of the leading sources of energy that we will need in the future.
Solar energy is rising throughout the United States. This source is mainly used in remote locations, but is becoming popular in urban areas. In 18 days of sunlight the earth receives an equal amount of energy stored in all of the earths reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas. Solar energy is produced by collecting sunlight with large, flat panels, made up of individual solar cells, and converting the sunlight into electricity. Solar energy is an alternative to fossil fuel and it is important to know the advantages, disadvantages, and the overall price.
Solar energy is a type of energy that is used in many households all around the world it is a renewable resource meaning once you use it you can replace it. It is a great energy source that is going to rule over coal and oil when we run out of fossil fuels. Electricity received from the panels is light energy that has been converted.
For many years we depend on fossil fuels to get the energy and power we need to survive. Without it, it would lead to widespread panic due to the reliance on electricity to communicate with others, stay cool or warm, or even to turn on our lights. However, there has been the start of new energy sources that could not only help the environment but can also be renewed. The top two forms of such a discovery have been the emergence of solar and wind energy. Although both solar and wind energy are potential ways to reduce the number of fossil fuels used, there are major differences in their production, cost, environmental concerns, and availability which can make one superior to the other (Clean Energy Partners 2011).
In addition, solar energy operational costs are manageable. It is free from monthly charges compared to conventional sources of energy. Solar energy does not require raw materials such as oil and coal, and once the panels are built, there will be no monthly charges. In addition, the prices of fossil fuels are increasing day by day, and this means conventional energy will be very expensive. Solar energy will remain the most capable world’s future power supply because, it is cost effective once the plants are built, and there will be no transport costs like for conventional energy sources. Therefore, solar energy is cost-effective, and will help in future energy supply, as the maintenance cost is affordable, as long as they are installed properly, and are working efficiently ( Hans, 2012). Furthermore, with the improvement and advancement of technology, it will increase its efficiency, and cost of production thus, making it more cost effective and the world’s best
In order for one to further understand the importance of solar energy, the problem of global warming must be explained. As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, “Global Warming” is an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. With an average increase in atmospheric temperatures, our planet is slowly deteriorating. In order to stall or halt this global destruction, countries must turn to solar energy as a cleaner alternative to the depletion of fossil fuels. Solar energy creates a homeostasis for the climate. Due to its ability to decrease global climate changes, solar power can address global warming in several ways.
In our everyday life we use electricity without thinking how important it is to us. We use it to power our homes with gas, light, and heat. The bills we receive to keep this electricity could be easily reduced by looking at an energy source that gives our environment a clean and renewable energy source. This is a simpler, cheaper, cleaner, and all-around better energy solution known as solar energy. Solar energy is energy transformed from sunlight when the sun's rays hit the solar panels.The solar panels are made up of photovoltaic(PV) cells, which convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity throughout the day, thus providing living conditions while saving money and energy (Technology review). Solar energy is an efficient method of energy because it provides a clean energy source and it lowers the cost of electricity.
Solar energy is the most plentiful and purist renewable energy source available. Because it is completely natural, it is considered to be a clean energy source. It does not disrupt the environment or threaten the Eco-systems the way oil and some other energy sources tend to. Nor does it cause greenhouse gases, air or water pollution. Solar energy is an immensely important aspect of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly, we are learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy sources. Modern technology can utilize this energy in a variety of ways, such as; generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, industrial, or commercial use. One day solar energy may well become our primary form of energy. This would lead to a clean environment, less money spent on utilities, and a healthier world. It is highly important because it has the potential to allow technology and nature to co-exist peacefully.
Solar radiation, planetary energy and geothermal energy are the three forms of renewable energy available on earth. Radiation from the sun is the highest source of energy and the obtainability of these sources alters. In a nuclear fusion process in the sun, hydrogen is transformed into helium. It is in the form of electromagnetic waves that the surface of the sun radiates this energy. This will
The source of all energy here on Earth comes from the sun and without it there would be no climate here on Earth (Kitchen, 2014). Our Earth’s climate can only be balanced by the amount of energy that is coming and going. When the rate of incoming and outgoing energy is not balanced, this causes issues with out climate. Nuclear fusion is the process by which our energy is created from the sun and converts hydrogen to Helium. Pressure and temperature within each layer of the sun causes energy to radiate outwards into space and then in time, it will radiate to Earth. According to Kitchen, this process can take thousands of years to process, but only takes about eight minutes to reach our Earth’s surface (2014).
There are many forms of renewable energy . Most of these renewable energies depend in one way or another on sunlight. Wind and hydroelectric power are the direct result of differential heating of the Earth 's surface which leads to air moving about (wind) and precipitation forming as the air is lifted. Solar energy is the direct conversion of sunlight using panels or collectors. Biomass energy is stored sunlight contained in plants. Other renewable energies that do not depend on sunlight are geothermal energy, which is a result of radioactive decay in the crust combined with the original heat of accreting the Earth, and tidal energy, which is a conversion of gravitational energy.
The production of electricity uses the fossil fuels which are depleting at a very high rate as they are non-renewable, so an alternate way is needed to cope up with this problem. Solar energy is an efficient and environment-friendly resource of energy. Moreover, it is a renewable source which could be utilized for sustainable development because the use of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels depletes these natural resources for future generations as they are formed over millions of years as the dead plants and animals decay over long time. Not only these fossil fuels gets depleted, but also the burning of these fuels emits greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which have a great impact on the environment as these GHG emissions affects the climatic conditions and makes it unstable. There is rise in the temperature causes global warming and badly affect the life on earth and the emission of harmful gases pollutes the air. And after having these many bad influences, the demand of electricity for the whole world remains unsatisfied and the world faces energy poverty. Moreover, these non-renewable are not economically sustainable as it costs a lot for the production of electricity using the fossil fuels like coal.
Solar Energy are gathered from the sun and it can be used in modern power generation. The formation of the Earth's living organisms are primarily based on the sun to provide heat and light for them to survive. Since ancient times human beings learnt how to use the sun to dried items, such as dried fish etc. Now, solar energy are collected from Photovoltaic modules or in other words, solar panels. Electricity are generated with the Photovoltaic effect, which converts sunlight into electrical energy.