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Uses of solar energy essay
The importance of solar energy
Uses of solar energy essay
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Solar power in Canada is gaining attention to many people. You will be informed about what solar energy is and how it works, the environmental impacts of solar energy, why you should care about it and what you and others can do to help promote it. You will have a better understanding of solar energy and why you should take the switch. Overview The amount of solar energy you consume depends on where you live, how you live, transportation and the climate. Canada has an abundance of renewable resources, including solar energy. The province with the highest development of solar resources is British Columbia. Quebec, southern Ontario and the Prairies are where you will find the most solar power. The amount of solar energy found in any place in Canada will depend on the season, latitude, weather conditions and the time of the day. For example, in the territories it is harder to produce solar energy because of latitude. Less sunlight reaches the territories compared to other places in Canada like Ontario. Many sparsely populated areas use solar energy because they are far from power lines. Now that you know a bit of information on solar energy in Canada, I can explain what solar energy is. Solar energy is energy taken from the light that reaches earth's surface from the sun. There are four different kinds of solar energy, which are active solar systems, passive solar systems, photovoltaic cells and concentrating power systems. An active solar systems is a system that captures solar energy by mechanical means. Common active solar systems are often in buildings or homes. Some examples are roof collectors and water heating. Low Intensity and high variability have limited the use of active solar energy in Canada. A pass... ... middle of paper ... ...nadiangeographic.ca/ Scanlan, L. (2001, May/June) Solar Power: Power Switch. Canadian Geographic Retrieved from http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/ Solar Power in Canada (2002-2014) Retrieved from http://www.centreforenergy.com/AboutEnergy/Solar/Overview.asp?page=1 Sun Shower (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/themes.aspx?id=weather&sub=weather_power_solarpower&lang=En Table 358-0214 (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/pick-choisir?lang=eng&p2=33&id=3580214 Vancouver Sun. (2006) Solar Power Development Gathers Energy Around the World. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/features/energy/story.html?id=fad2f435-0b49-4ea1-bcd3-b297d981bcb1 Wearing, J. (2012, June) Research: Solar Panels for All Seasons. Canadian Geographic Retrieved from http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/
Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy.
Solar energy is a new concept that many are not familiar with, therefore, comprehending can be challenging. After a long attempt to discover how to use the sun's energy, scientists discovered solar panels that will absorb the rays that can be used to produce energy. "The sun supplies us with about 20,000 times the energy we can actually use" (“Solar Energy,” Earth Explorer). Solar energy is a leading form of sustainable energy which is used around the world to supply heat and electricity to homes. On the smaller scale solar energy can be used to recharge a phone, supply a calculator with power and run many other things. Solar energy can be an avenue to many advances fr...
Solar power is a renewable alternative energy. The sun helps the solar power to produce energy and converted to electricity. The sun provides the earth with two major forms of energy, heat and light. There are three ways types of solar power solar cells, solar water heating and solar furnaces, but the most common solar power is solar is solar cells. How solar cells works is when there is a sunny climate the sun reflects in to the solar power so that it can get electricity. Most solar power systems utilize heat energy for heating will the others transform light into electricity. Solar Power is not only for house use but also for cars. Now in days, vehicles run on with solar power. According to (makeitsolar.com), it says, “PV panels as a direct power source that convert light energy into electricity to power their motors. When sun is not available, cars will not run, so, is better to have a car powered by batteries that can recharged with solar energy” describes how solar power is the better way to save electricity and could easily recharged when sun is available at no cost. Solar power is the better way to save electricity without using house power or car battery.
The sun has been a major aspect of life since the beginning of time. People used many other forms of energy before electricity was discovered. There has been a debate over energy resources for years. Many people are worried about what current energy resources may be doing to the environment. Oil spills and nuclear power plant mishaps have only been a few accidents that have had a big impact on the environment and the people who inhabit it. There are plenty of energy sources that do not harm the environment and are still able to get the job done. Solar energy is one energy alternative that will insure the betterment of the country and, at the same time, protect the natural environment.
Solar is a viable alternative energy source with solar panels becoming more affordable and more efficiently designed.
"Top 6 Things You Didn't Know About Solar Energy." Energy.gov. United States Department of Energy, 22 July 2012. Web. 23 May 2014.
Solar energy originates from the thermonuclear fusion reactions occurring in the sun. Leaving all the byproducts of the reactions behind in the sun, the energy that reaches the Earth is pure radiant energy. This energy represents the entire electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from x-rays to radio waves. Most of the sun’s energy, forty-three percent, is in the form of visible light, which can be harnessed for electrical production. The amount of energy hitting the Earth is incredibly large; by one calculation, a month of sunshine has the equivalent energy of all the planet’s used and unused fossil fuels.(Huang, 2007) However, the nature of solar energy has two disadvantages. The sun does not shine consistently throughout the day due to clouds and other atmospheric factors, which can be problem for constant electricity and heat production. Moreover, solar energy cannot be used for nighttime production. The other shortcoming is that the energy from the sun is a diffuse source, that is, it falls over a wide area. In order to utilize this energy, it must be concentrated into a form and amount we can use, such as heat and electricity. These problems are addressed in the three steps used to harness the sun’s energy: collection, conversion, and stor...
To begin, we will take a look at solar energy. Solar energy is exactly what is it, energy that comes from the sun. Solar energy is a process in which solar rays or the heat that the sun gives off is collected by solar panels made up off cells called photovoltaic (Toothman). These cells are made of silicon in its crystalline form and other semi conductive materials combined with it. When the sun light hits the silicon, the heat causes the electrons in the material to start moving freely. Then an electric field causes these electrons to move in a form of a current. By conducting that current we can siphon the electricity off into batteries, and store the energy made.
Solar energy has the greatest potential of all the sources of renewable energy as it is the best alternative heating energy source. Despite of being inexhaustible, clean and universally available, the use of solar energy is however more economical than the use of fossil fuels especially in that area where the water for daily use has to be transported partly over very large distances and other sources of energy are impossible. It can be used directly as thermal or it can be converted to electrical energy by photo-voltaic (PV) conversion or via a solar thermal power plant. Thus, it is classified into two categories known as direct and indirect solar energy.
I am certain that all have heard of the terms green house gases, fossil fuels, and global warming. Have you ever questioned what will happen if nothing is done about the environmental problems facing the world today? What if I answer you that, we can merely use the power from the sun to power up our entire planet without the use of harmful energy sources, which affect our atmosphere? The power from the sun is what we call solar power. Solar power is the energy that comes from the sun as light and heat energy, and then it is later converted into electrical energy through solar panels (Nelson, 2008). This kind of power is completely free, right? Why should we put a lot of expense on other sources of energy, when there is a complete free and healthy power? It is evident that solar energy is a healthy source of energy, which will help stop global warming all together, but it is economically efficient to switch everything to solar energy. Solar energy is capable of becoming the world's future power supply because, it is renewable, eco-friendly, and extremely efficient when strategically placed.
Of course, during the daylight hours only, solar energy is directly accessible. Depending on the weather conditions and the season, the intensity of the energy varies at different locations. The solar radiation that reaches the top atmosphere is equivalent to 1366W/m2. At the equator, the radiation that reaches the ground is about 1000W/m2. In the lower atmosphere, the energy is about 0.5 W/m2 due to the thicker atmosphere. Conditions like clouds, pollution and aerosols can also reduce the amount of radiation that reaches the ground. In North America, the average solar energy available varies from 3000 to 9000 Wh/m2 per day. In Northern Europe, solar energy varies from 2000 to 3000 Wh/m2 per day. In contrast, the tropics receive around 6000 Wh/m2 per day. There are a lot of different ways to use solar energy. Some technologies are used to produce heat from solar energy. Other technologies use solar energy to produce electricity.
First of all, solar energy is the energy produced when the sun heats the solar panel. Thus, when the sun heats the panels, it produces electricity. Solar power produces energy during the day and can store energy for the night. Solar power does not pollute the environment. However, it has high maintenance cost, and it takes a lot of land space.
Solar power is one of the best renewable resources known to man today. The idea of trapping the suns rays to convert it into energy and produces electricity, heat, or cooling devices. Solar power has a variety of advantages it is so effective, abundant and infinitely renewable it makes it one of the leading renewable sources used today. Solar power comes in lager quantity or small so for instances you can use it for a local family home, or use it to run a full scale office building. Solar power can be individual solar cells used to charge batteries to store energy and solar lighting uses tubes connected to a collector on the roof of a building in order to provide light (Ayres, Robert, and . "30-39." solar energy. The Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010 20th. Web. 20
“Load shedding”, “depletion of non-renewable resources”, “global warming”- these are all terms that we have unknowingly learned and understood over the years simply because they are becoming severe social and environmental problems on a global level. Thus the hunt for an energy source that is independent of the above problems is the prime of the day in the 21st century. The most promising alternative, especially in a sunlight-rich climate like South Africa’s, seems to be the sun’s radiation or what’s commonly known as “solar power”.
Ghahremani, L. (2011, January 3). WHY SWITCH TO SOLAR ENERGY?. The Daily Energy Report. Retrieved , from http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/why-switch-to-solar-energy-technology-that-saves-you-money-%E2%80%93-and-what-you-need-to-know-about-it/