Renewable Solar Energy Articles | Renewable Energy

The simplest transfer of energy we use today is solar energy. Solar energy can be used to warm our pools or to dry our clothes.

The sun is a very powerful star. It supplies us with energy by means of a process known as nuclear fusion. It also sustains the life on our planet. Solar energy otherwise known as the energy from the sun has existed since time immemorial and even the prehistoric men used the power of the sun in order to start fires.

The sun is a valuable and essential resource which radiates enough energy on the U. S in one day to meet the needs of the nation for as much as one and a half years. It is a source of energy that is free, clean and renewable and it is an energy source that will play a substantial role in our future.

The use of solar energy seems like the easiest solution to having an eternal energy source. However the harnessing of this energy is where the problem starts from. The rays of the sun shine over the entire world and not in a single spot. It may take only 8 minutes for the rays of the sun to reach the earth but trying to catch these rays over a wide area can be a very tricky thing to do. Energy available given place will vary according to a number of different factors which include cloud cover and weather conditions.

The use of solar energy in the United States started in the 1890’s when solar water heaters were used. Solar water heating makes use of a storage collector and a storage tank. Flat plate solar collectors are kept of roofs and pipes that carry water are then pumped through these collectors. These tubes are also painted black because this way they tend to get hotter quicker, a storage tank will then hold the hot liquid and this will help with central heating and cutting down on fuel costs. Solar heaters were popular when natural gas was rather expensive and burning wood and coals was a rather bothersome task. The popularity of solar heaters reduced when abundant natural gas and oil deposits were discovered. These fuels are now returning to replace the depleting fossil fuels that had taken their place.owve

Solar energy is either in the form of heat or light energy. The technology of the photovoltaic converts the energy of the sun into electric currents with the use of solar cells. Electric currents are then used immediately or stored for future use. PV cells also consist of pieces of silicon which are placed under a piece of glass. These pieces have both a positive and negative charge. Certain examples of this are the solar powered calculators that are used almost everywhere these days. Much more complicated examples would be the use of solar panels on rooftops. This usually consists of thin film solar cells used as rooftop shingles, roof tiles or even glazing for sky lights. These solar cells only generate one sixth of the solar energy into power. Bigger arrays are then needed which usually means more costs.

Solar thermal plants make use of the power of the sun in order to heat fluid. This in turn is transferred to steam that is quite similar to what occurs in plants that burn fossil fuel. The steam can then be transformed into mechanical energy in a turbine as well as electrical energy in a generator. The bad thing about solar plants is that they are unable to produce energy on days that are cloudy.