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Saving Energy with Solar Panels
Solar power is radiant energy which is produced by the sun. Every day, the sun radiates or sends out a huge quantity of energy. The sun radiates more energy in one second than people have used since the beginning of time! The energy of the sun derives from within the sun itself. Like other stars, the sun is really a big ball containing numerous types of gases—mostly hydrogen and helium atoms. The hydrogen atoms in the sun’s core combine to create helium and generate energy in a process called nuclear fusion. During nuclear fusion, the sun’s extremely high pressure and temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei (the central cores of the atoms) begin to fuse or combine. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to become one helium atom. However, the helium atom contains less mass than the four hydrogen atoms that fused. Therefore, some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy. It requires an incredible number of years for the energy in the sun’s core to make its way to the solar surface, and slightly over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the velocity of light.
Only a small percentage of the energy radiated by the sun into space strikes our planet, one part in two billion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous. Each day enough energy strikes the United States to supply the nation’s energy needs for one and a half years! Where does all this energy go? About 15 percent of the sun’s energy that hits the earth is reflected back to space. Another 30 percent is used to evaporate water, which when lifted into the atmosphere, produces rainfall. Solar power is absorbed by plants, the land, and the oceans. The rest could be employed to supply our energy needs. Who invented solar technology? Folks have harnessed solar technology for centuries. Since the 7th century B.C., people used simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they would cause wood to catch fire. Over 100 years ago in France, a scientist used heat from a solar collector to make steam to drive a steam engine. At the beginning of this century, scientists and engineers began researching ways to use solar energy in earnest. One important development was a remarkably efficient solar boiler introduced by Charles Greeley Abbott, an American astrophysicist, in 1936. The solar water heater gained popularity at this time in Florida, California, and the Southwest. The industry started in the early 1920s and was in full swing prior to World War II. This growth lasted until the mid-1950s when low-cost gas became the primary fuel for heating American homes. People and world governments remained largely indifferent to the possibilities of solar power prior to the oil shortages of the 1970s. Today, people use solar power to heat buildings and water and to generate electricity. How we use solar energy today? Solar energy today is used in a variety of ways. There are two very basic types of solar power:
Here are five of the most practical and popular uses of solar energy: 2. Solar pool heating. Running water in direct circulation systems through a solar collector is an extremely practical method to heat water for your pool or hot tub. 3. Thermal glycol energy to heat water. In this method (indirect circulation), glycol is heated by natural sunlight and the heat is then transferred to water in a hot water tank. This process of collecting the sun's energy is much more practical now than ever. In areas as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, solar thermal to heat water is economically sound. It can pay for itself in three years or less. 4. Integrating solar photovoltaic energy into your home or business power. In most parts of the world, solar photovoltaics is an economically feasible approach to supplement the power of your own home. In Japan, photovoltaics are competitive with other kinds of power. In America alone, new incentive programs make this form of solar technology ever more viable in many states. A frequent and practical way of integrating solar energy into the power of your home or business is through the usage of building-integrated solar photovoltaics. How do Photovoltaic panels work ? Silicon is mounted beneath non-reflective glass to create photovoltaic panels. These panels collect photons from the sun, converting them into DC electrical power. The power created then flows into an inverter. The inverter transforms the energy into basic voltage and AC electric power. Photovoltaic cells are prepared with particular materials such as silicon. These act as semiconductors; when light hits the Photovoltaic cell, a certain share of it is absorbed inside the semiconductor material. This means that the energy of the absorbed light is given to the semiconductor. The power unfastens the electrons, permitting them to run freely. Solar cells also have one or more electric fields that act to compel electrons unfastened by light absorption to flow in a specific direction. This flow of electrons is a current, and by introducing metal links on the top and bottom of the Photovoltaic cell, the current can be drawn to use it externally. Do you know the pluses and minuses of solar energy? Solar Pro Arguments - Heating our homes with oil or propane or using electricity from power plants running with oil and coal is a cause of climate change and climate disruption. Solar power, on the contrary, is clean and environmentally-friendly. - Solar hot-water heaters require little maintenance, and their initial investment can be recovered in just a relatively short time. - Solar hot-water heaters can work in nearly every climate, even in very cold ones. Simply choose the best system for your climate: drainback, thermosyphon, batch-ICS, etc. - Maintenance costs of solar powered systems are minimal and also the warranties large. - Financial incentives (USA, Canada, European states…) can reduce the price of the initial investment in solar technologies. The U.S. government, for example, offers tax credits for solar systems certified by the SRCC (Solar Rating and Certification Corporation), which amount to 30 percent of the investment (2009-2016 period). Disdavantages of Solar Power - The first investment in solar hot water heaters or in photovoltaic electric systems is higher than that required by conventional electric and gas heaters systems. - The payback period of solar PV-electric systems is high, as well as those of solar space heating or solar cooling (only the solar hot water heating payback is short or relatively short). - Solar water heating does not support a direct combination with radiators (including baseboard ones). - Solar air conditioning (solar space heating and the solar cooling systems) is an expensice affair. It is an untested technology and hardly an economical option. - The efficiency of solar powered systems is rather dependent on sunlight resources. In colder climates, where heating or electricity needs are higher and sunlight scarce,efficiency could prove to be lesser.
Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com). Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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