Sunday, February 14, 2010

Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy


Most power plants in the U. S. and all over world are using normal fuels to operate and generate electrical power. Fossil fuel has been used as a source of energy so long as man has learned to generate power. Fossil fuel has been about for ages and when man began to use this power sources nobody though about the effects. Carbon-based fuels will run out and there'll be a shortage of it in near future. This deficit in fossil fuel will have its affect on our daily live and numerous industries. Today we see a number of these has effects on already, fossil fuel prizes are raising and electricity is starting to become dearer. Though normal fuels are way more shocks, to want for carbon-based fuels will continue to be here and won't fall in near future. To resolve this lack of normal fuels we're going to need to have a look for other possibilities for our energy demand.

Fortunately, alternative sources of energy are growing in fees. For example, locations with high water falls are experimenting on building a hydro-electric power plant, which turns out to be successful. Other locations with high wind speed employ a power wind mills that will convert wind energy into electricity. Also thermal and tidal powers are good choices.

Solar energy is also one of the energy sources that is gaining in interest. Solar energy has steadily been growing. Today solar energy is widely used in the US and the advantages are numerous. Our solar energy source, the sun, its life span is estimated to be another 4.5 billion years. It is fair to say that this energy source is almost endless.

Rate of Energy from the Sun

The sun's radiation reaches a certain unit of area in space in the area of the Earth's orbit and is guestimated to be at 1,400 watts per square meter. Out of this, photovoltaic cells ( also known as solar cells ) can capture nineteen to fifty six watts per square meter ( for 15% potency ) or an equivalent of 0.45 to 1.35 kilo watt an hour ( kWh ) in a yearly night and day average.

Therefore, if there would be more area that'll be covered by several solar cells, these panels can produce a touch more energy in the shape of electricity than what's now available from oil, gas, and other power sources mixed ( presuming 8% solar cell potency ).

Conversion of solar power

There are 2 ways of conversion of solar power. First is the direct solar energy which involves only one conversion into a serviceable form. For example :

Sunlight hits the solar cell, changing it into electricity. Sunlight hits the absorber surface of a solar thermal collector, changing into thermal energy which can be employed to heat houses during cold season.

The second is the indirect solar energy which involves more than one conversion to reach a usable form. For instance:

Plants use photosynthesis to transform solar power to chemical energy, which can be burned later as fuel to generate electricity ( AKA bio-fuel technology ). Hydroelectric dams and turbines are indirectly supplied by solar power thru its interactions with the Earth's atmosphere.

Pros and Cons of solar power

Just like any other types of energy resources, solar energy has its ins and outs.

Pros :

Pollution-free. Solar facilities can be run with little additional input or upkeep. It is abounding. As discussed earlier, almost all of the inhabited areas here on Earth can be reached by daylight.

Cons:

Although it is abounding, non-tropical locations can receive small daylight. Therefore , power that'll be produced in these locations is a minimum. Only during daytime therefore unavailable during night time. Photovoltaic cell technologies generate direct current ( DC ) power which should be converted to AC ( AC ) power employed in distribution grids.

Once large development of the utilization of solar electricity is materialized, expect that each household or industry in the world will now be powered by solar electricity. It's not merely a dream, it's going to be a fantasy.

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

How Does New Solar Energy Technology Work?

Imagine the next time you join a discussion about the workings of solar energy. When you start sharing the fascinating solar energy advantages and disadvantages below, your friends will be absolutely amazed.

Solar energy panels are environmental friendly and produce no pollution while generating electricity. Solar energy is also used as a power for satellites in space and in space shuttles. The solar energy company's primary expertise lies with solar water heating. Solar water heating is the name given to the process where we use the power of the sun to heat up your hot water.

Power generated by using clean energy technologies can also be sold to the other countries, boosting the trade deficit. They can power remote locations, such as a cabin, RV or boat. Build solar-powered ovens and heaters with which to cook food.

Most of this information comes straight from the solar energy pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you'll know what they know.

Solar energy collectors located at the top will collect energy to be collected and recharged during the day time to be used at night. The power stored in the batter will probably run up to ten hours thanks to LED lights being integrated in to the system. Solar energy is renewable energy which is environmentally friendly, and it is free once the solar panels for electricity generation are in place, except for the cost to maintain and repair this equipment.

Electrolysis with platinum is old hat. New substance catalyses reaction at positive electrode releasing oxygen with a lower energy cost. Electricity is produced with the help of a solar power system. Not every person ca operate the solar power system only those individuals who have a know how of the solar power system and know how they work can operate the solar power systems.

Solar energy, as the name itself suggests, is sourced from that glowing ball of fire in the sky that we call the sun. What we call sunlight is actually beams of electromagnetic waves that are absorbed by the upper strata of the earth's atmosphere. Solar energy and 'going green' are getting a lot of attention these days.

If you've picked some pointers about the workings of solar energy that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge on the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy if you don't use it.

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Solar Energy - Use More and Save The Planet!

Solar electricity has been around forever at least so long as we humans can tell. Solar power has been used for centuries. It dries your hair when you run out of time to employ a power blow dryer. It may fry an egg on the path on a hot summer day. It also liquefies your ice cream on the same day.

But now, solar energy has a completely new meaning, as does solar energy system. How and why has this happened? The history of solar energy is fascinating.

Coal Started This Story

When coal was being used pretty much exclusively in the Business Revolution, it was actually the norm. Nobody was worried about finding another source of fuel, though they were beginning to use biomass and traditional fuels, and wood had been used for a while. The utilization of solar power was first considered in the 1860s as scientists thought that coal was becoming less available. But in the early twentieth century, coal and petrol were again typically available, and were not too expensive.

During the oil embargo (1973) and the energy crisis (1979), the government's energy policies worldwide were under scrutiny. There was renewed interest in developing solar technologies. Government developed special programs with incentives, like the Sunshine Program in Japan. The United States had the Federal Photovoltaic Utilization Program. Governments in many countries also developed research facilities (United States, Japan, and Germany were notable.)

To be fair, in the United States there had already been commercial solar water heaters since the 1890s. There were increasing number of users of these systems, until there were more reliable and cheaper fuels. Solar water heating was of interest during the oil crisis that happened in the 1970s but when the price of petroleum went down, so did interest in solar water heaters.

Since the 1990s, there was increased interest in sun-powered heating, and now it's the most well-liked solar technology. There are more used of solar power, however.

For office buildings, solar electricity can supply day lighting systems and reduced need for aircon.

For farming, solar power can run the pumps, wine presses, and even the chick brooders.

For cooking, solar energy is used for cooking, drying, and pasteurization. These can be of various forms, from reflector ovens (remember using those while camping?), panel cookers, which use solar panels to collect heat, and box cookers. These can reach temperatures sufficient to cook pretty much anything.

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