What is solar power?
Solar power is a powerful energy that is derived from the sun. Sunlight is
provided to earth regardless of whether we use it or not. Today, this energy
is being collected using different technologies, such as solar devices and converted
into heat or electricity.
We could expect continual improvement of existing solar technology and the
invention of new solar power devices over the coming decades.
Solar power technology harness the energy from the sun
Solar power technology captures energy from the sun in many ways. E.g:
* Solar cells - also known as photoelectric or photovoltaic cells convert
energy from the sun into electricity. Solar cells are combined into modules
of which solar panels are comprised. These cells are considered low maintenance
and well suited to remote applications.
* Solar water heaters- heat from the sun is used to heat water through glass
panels which are installed on roofs, known as solar collectors, that deal
with heat from the sun (solar thermal energy) as opposed to light.
* Solar furnaces - In order to concentrate all of the sunlight into a single
point, many strategically placed reflective surfaces, like mirrors are being
used. This point of concentrated energy creates an extreme amount of heat
which can be used for making electricity, melting steel, or creating hydrogen
fuel.
Solar power is an appealing energy source, because:
* It is a completely free and inexhaustible fuel source.
* No fuel, waste, or pollution is expelled in its usage.
* Solar power can be the only realistic way to provide energy to a place that
is not capable of drawing energy from other sources, ie. in remote areas,
or small villages.
* Can be used for low-power purposes as well as larger ones- from battery
chargers, hand-held calculators, and solar powered garden lights to air conditioning,
cars, and satellites.
* There is no need to process sunlight beyond the amount which a solar cell
or solar collector is capable of doing (unlike fossil fuels or even other
alternative energy sources, such as biomass.)
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