Solar power has been around for many years. The very first silicon based photovoltaic was invented by Bell Labs back in 1954. At this time the cost per watt was high at $285 and in 2009 it dropped to a mere $3.00 per watt (Solar Tech USA, 2014). Solar energy dates back as far as the 2nd century with the Greeks and Romans starting fires through broken glass. Indirect benefits from solar have been used way back to even photosynthesis (Bengtson, 2012). Passive solar energy was used to heat building by using the design to capture the sun for heating and lighting. Moving into the 20th century major changes have accrued and there is now concentrating solar power technologies for centralized solar thermal plants (Bengtson, 2012). The public believes that solar is not yet ready to take charge and become a major source of power, yet some experts disagree. Solar power in the 21st century has magnified many possibilities for solar use. Photovoltaic has created a large economic benefit by reducing the cost of other resources as well as its own for example solar heated water heaters have cut the cost of gas and electricity (Bengtson, 2012). Germany is a great example of how solar is in huge demand and working well to serve the consumers. Germany has 5 times the solar power the United States is currently using although Germany does not get a great deal of sun (Brad Plumer, 2013). Germany is the world leader in solar power and with the use of other renewable source has subsidized
Since when it was determined that electricity could be generated from the sun, the power industry has taken slack for not considering it as a viable addition to their generation fleet. However, there are two facts that need to be remembered with respect to the power industry. The first thing to remember is that power has to be supplied to their customers regardless of the weather or the time of day. Secondly, power companies are just like any other company; they are in the business of making money. Because of those two facts, solar energy at its current technological state has no place in the power industry’s current generation fleet.
i) Sub Point A: According to eere.enegry.gov, the U.S. Department of Energy, solar powered technology dates back to the 7th century B.C. The first piece of solar powered technology is the magnifying glass. You know, that thing you used when you were little to burn ants and things. The first solar panels though, like the ones we sometimes see on top of houses or rooftops, were first created back in 1976 by two scientist, David Carlson and Christopher Wronski.
Proof: Germany is one of the top installers of solar energy. They have less sunlight than most of northern America.
In addition, solar energy operational costs are manageable. It is free from monthly charges compared to conventional sources of energy. Solar energy does not require raw materials such as oil and coal, and once the panels are built, there will be no monthly charges. In addition, the prices of fossil fuels are increasing day by day, and this means conventional energy will be very expensive. Solar energy will remain the most capable world’s future power supply because, it is cost effective once the plants are built, and there will be no transport costs like for conventional energy sources. Therefore, solar energy is cost-effective, and will help in future energy supply, as the maintenance cost is affordable, as long as they are installed properly, and are working efficiently ( Hans, 2012). Furthermore, with the improvement and advancement of technology, it will increase its efficiency, and cost of production thus, making it more cost effective and the world’s best
With global warming and climate change, our mother earth’s deteriorating health has become a serious problem and is affecting the lives of all species, including human beings, that depend on its plentiful resources to survive. Oil, or petroleum, a nonrenewable energy source, is now running out, being also one of the major obstacles we face nowadays—the extraction and burning of oil done by human beings have been contaminating the environment, water sources, and the atmosphere. Rising prices of oil will also become a problem in the future if we continue to neglect the danger (Reese, Richard. “Oil and The Future.” Eco-Action, Dead Trees EF, 1997, www.eco-action.org/dt/oilfut.html. Accessed 2017). Thus, it is very
Now that we understand what solar energy is and how it benefits our society, we are going to delve deeper into it’s advantages. The most prevalent advantage of solar energy is that it is renewable. It can be harnessed in all areas all around the world is available everyday. Unlike some of the other alternative energy sources, we cannot run out of solar energy. As long as we have the sun, solar
Solar power is nothing completely new; it has been used for years to power small devices from calculators to watches, but what is new is its improved efficiency. Solar panels can be used to collect energy from the sun and now are being used on a much larger scale. Homeowners and business can use energy generated from the panels to power their homes and offices and have it purchased by energy suppliers. Solar power is proving to be an economical energy source available to the public that is consumer friendly.
Living organisms are dependent on energy. Chemical energy is formed through the conversion of sunlight by organisms such as bacteria and plants. It is through this process that food is formed for other organisms. Nature only consumes the amount of energy supplied by the sun. A part of the solar energy consumed by nature (animals, plants and their habitats) is transformed into chemical energy and is sealed off eternally from the atmosphere, stored as biomass.
The Sun’s energy overpowers all of the energy sources made on Earth. Even though only a fraction of the Sun’s energy makes it to Earth, it is still ten-thousand times more powerful than the energy sources on Earth. However, we are unable to harness such energy because of the many breaches we have to past through to achieve solar energy. As well, solar energy lacks certain aspects causing fossil fuels to be valued more. Although, by creating engineering advancements to improve the efficiency, expenditure, and availability of solar energy, the problem of solar energy usage will be resolved.
Solar energy and its use isn’t new to the world. It has been used by various societies beginning from 7thCentury B.C, when the sun’s heat was concentrated by glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered vehicles. By and large solar technology has some environmental, economic, psychological and ethical implications for our society. Actions taken by companies and individuals to increase the use of solar technology will create good local jobs, improve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil while doing what’s ethical and moral for our society.
Solar power or what is commonly referred to as solar energy is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. This form of energy is the cleanest and most abundant since it is almost everywhere in the world. It is also renewable and hence through modern technological advancement it be harnessed into a wide range of uses such as electricity generation, lighting or indoor use, water heating, machine driving and other commercial as well as industrial applications. There are many more other benefits that come along with solar energy use apart from just the application, such as the environmental friendliness, cheapness in terms of production and use, and the value it adds on a business or a home.
On one bright sunny day in July, as Victor was walking through the town where he was vacationing, he noticed something he had never seen before. Grid-like panels on top of a house sparked his curiosity. After returning to the hotel he was staying at, Victor asked to use the business center. He browsed the internet as he tried to figure out what the curious panels were. He eventually came across Solar panels in his search and he began to take an interest in the subject. Victor soon found out why he had never seen the solar panels before; they were used minimally in today’s world and were a small percentage of all energy sources in the United States. Victor didn’t know why this was, because in his quick research, he learned there were many benefits to solar energy compared to how little of disadvantages there were. He decided he would look into solar energy more when he got home and consider obtaining a solar energy system. He figured from the advantages, solar energy will start to become more present. Solar energy is increasingly emerging as an energy source that can compete with fossil fuels.
The future of solar technology clearly lies away from the expensive rigid structure of extensive silicon crystalline structures, and towards the non-silicon based technologies. Governments and private firms must continue to invest the capital needed to fund research and development in these fields of more flexible and versatile solar cells in order to acheieve higher efficiencies and improve the manufacturing process of these technologies; as currently they remain in their infancy.
Solar power technologies started developing in mid 1860s when the scarcity of coal was beginning to be a concern to people. However in early 20th century solar power would cease to flow due to the economy and the utility of coal and petroleum.
Solar power happened to be the first source of energy that was ever available to mankind. The amount of dependency on solar power is tremendously high. On the downs side, it is