Introduction
First
of all what is the need of alternate energy like solar energy? We
humans consume energy in the form of food, clothing, entertainment,
transportation e.t.c. Due to improved lifestyle of humans, industrial
and Cultural Revolution energy demand has rose to peaks which leads to
the search of new sources of energy. The sources of energy available for
use by mankind are commonly divided into two categories
a) Renewable energy
sources also termed as energy income i.e. renewable energy sources
sources of energy are more or less continuously refreshed by nature and
are considered to be available at potentially their current levels
irrespective of time at least for large amount of time. Examples of
renewable energy sources are Hydro power, Wind power, solar energy e.t.c
b) Non renewable energy
sources also termed as energy capital i.e., Non renewable energy
sources of energy cannot be replenished on any time scale less than
millions of years. Examples of non renewable sources of energy are
Fossil fuels, Coal, Nuclear fuel (Fission material such as uranium)
e.t.c.
Conventional Sources of Energy
All
the natural resources like petroleum, natural gas, coal are limited and
will get exhausted with time. In addition to that these are not
renewable. As scarcity increases price increases drastically. Usage of
other sources of energy like nuclear energy due to fission of uranium is
not certain due to scare of radioactivity. The growth of Geo thermal
energy is not promising. The Fusion energy extraction is still in the
amateur stage. Hence solar energy gained importance and much research is
pointed towards it to make it a cheaper and efficient source of energy.
Solar Energy Definition
The
Energy derived from the sun radiation and converted in to electrical
energy, this energy is called as solar energy. The Light radiation
energy is injected on the solar panels which breaks the covalent bonds
and produces the free electrons. This flow of free electrons can be used
to drive the electrical load or it can be stored in solar batteries.
Importance of Solar energy
There
may be varieties of forms in which we consume energy such as electrical
energy, heat energy, mechanical energy e.t.c yet virtually all of the
energy originates from the power of atom. Nuclear fusion reactions such
as fusing of two hydrogen atoms to produce helium are energizing the
stars including our sun. A tremendous amount of energy is released in
the form of heat and light energy from these nuclear reactions. The
cosmic energy we capture on earth comes largely from the sun or from
nuclear forces local to our planet.
Sunlight is by far the predominant source, and it contains a surprisingly large amount of solar energy.
For
every one hour the earth receives 173*1012 kWh or 173 peta watts of
solar energy from the sun. We can intercept this solar energy and can be
used for our own purposes.
Solar energy radiation reaches Earth with more than enough energy in a single square meter to illuminate five 60-watt light bulbs if all the sunlight could be captured and converted to electricity.
Solar energy radiation reaches Earth with more than enough energy in a single square meter to illuminate five 60-watt light bulbs if all the sunlight could be captured and converted to electricity.
The
fact that the temperatures vary from one point to another on the earth
can be utilized to provide power. The temperature differences are the
driving force behind winds, waves, ocean currents. The resulting air
currents drive wind turbines.
Solar
energy is alo important in evaporating the water that falls as rain and
builds up behind dams, where its motion is used to generate electricity
via hydropower. Also the energy stored in the plants through photo
synthesis can be utilized by burning wood, which breaks the bonds and
releases energy as heat and light.
More
often, though, we use the stored energy in the much more concentrated
forms that result when organic matter, after millions of years of
geological and chemical activity underground, turns into fossil fuels,
such as coal, oil, or natural gas. Either way, we’re reclaiming the
power of sunlight.
The
Solar light energy given away by sun can be converted directly into
usable form of energy such as electrical energy, thermal energy e.t.c.
using transducers such as solar cells. Because solar energy is free of
pollution, available in abundance and throughout the world, it is a
highly interesting source of energy for everyone. In the next few years
it is expected that millions of households in the world will be using
solar energy .Solar Technology is the one fastest growing technologies
in the 20th century.
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