Sunday, June 7, 2009

What Is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is described as any power that can be obtained from the sun.
Enough energy is produced by the sun to meet mans needs many times over.
More effective ways to extract and use this energy are being discovered every day.
The use of solar energy has zero impact on the environment.
The energy from the sun is always available whether we take advantage of it or not.
In terms of humanity, it is an endless supply of free power if we just develop and apply the technology to utilize it.
There are a number of ways to extract energy from the sun that can be useful to man.
One of the simplest concepts of harnessing solar energy is a green house.
The heat and light from the sun are contained in an enclosed environment for the purpose of growing plants even in cold or harsh climates.
Using the suns energy to heat a home is another simple concept. Energy from the sun is captured and stored by solar collectors in water in the form of heat.
Photoelectric or photovoltaic cells are used to capture the suns energy to produce electricity. During daylight hours photovoltaic cells can produce a substantial amount of energy. In most cases it is advantageous to use this power to charge a battery bank so the power produced can be stored and used later, when the sun is not shining on your part of the world.
Most of us have witnessed photoelectric devices. Many calculators and outdoor lighting devices collect and store energy from the sun.
Solar energy may well be mans answer to our ever growing needs of environmentally friendly power.