Solar Energy

Solar Energy is the energy produced by the sun, and that is converted to useful energy for us to harness. The main uses of this type of energy are for heating purposes and to generate electricity.

Each year the sun throws four thousand times the energy the whole planet uses; hence its potential is virtually unlimited.

The amount of energy available at some point on Earth depends of the day of the year, the hour of the day, the latitude and the orientation and inclination of the receiving device.

To the day, solar energy is one of the most used renewable energies in the world.

How do we transform the light of the sun into solar power?

As we mentioned before, the main uses of solar energy can be divided in two groups; first, using it to heat things, like water or food, this type or energy is know as thermal solar energy; and the second the one is when we use it to generate electricity, known as photovoltaic solar energy, or PV solar.

The main devices that use thermal solar energy are the solar water heaters and the solar stoves.

To generate electricity through sunlight we use solar cells, which are the core of what we know as a solar panel; the solar cells are the responsible of converting light into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.

But the uses of solar energy are not limited to the ones mentioned before; some other uses are:

• To make water potable
• To dry things (such as fruits)
• Evaporation
• Distillation
• Refrigeration

As you can see the uses can be plenty, and each day researchers are discovering new technologies that will help us to take better advantage of the sun and in a more efficient way.

Energy Storage

One of the disadvantages of using solar energy is that it is not available at night or in very cloudy days, so how to store the heat or electricity generated in the day through solar energy becomes a very important part of the equation.

Paradoxically the storage of the energy produced has become a very expensive part of a solar energy system, so until the price and efficiency of the batteries are improved the use of this type of energy will be limited.

For more info you can check these interesting articles:

• Solar PV Energy in California
• Homemade Solar Water Heater
• Solar Energy Advantages - Disadvantages
• How Does Solar Cells Work