According to my research about solar energy I recommend that FPL develop more solar energy production facilities and assist individual homeowners in applying solar panels to their homes. My recommendation is based on many factors. One of the major factors for considering solar energy is that Florida is almost always sunny. There are about 8 hours of sunlight for a normal day and it seems logical to harness the sun’s energy for our needs.
When storing solar energy it makes more sense to connect to a utility grid and sell the excess power to a utility company because the batteries that store solar energy are very expensive and large. There is one disadvantage to this system because the power company will not buy the electricity at the same
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The manufacturing of large quantities of photovoltaic cells will require new manufacturing plants with jobs for hundreds of people. Large solar facilities can produce 75 megawatts or 75 million watts of electricity which is equal to lighting 1,250,000 60 watt light bulbs for a year. A solar energy center such as Martin’s can power at least 11,000 homes without putting any CO2 into the atmosphere. Unlike wind farms, solar energy systems do not create noise because there are no movable parts in a solar panel.
Solar panels work by converting sunlight into DC electricity. These panels are made up of photovoltaic cells that are made into a panel by electrically connecting them. A large amount of these panels are connected together creating an array that provides electricity to consumers. The word photo means light and the word voltaic means electricity. When these words are put together it makes light electricity. Solar panels were originally used in space to power satellites. The photovoltaic cells are made out of silicon which is a semiconductor. When light is shined on the silicon it is transferred into electrical energy. The sunlight causes an electron to come free from the solar panel and flow freely that creates a current. The metal contacts connecting to the solar panels let the current flow into an electrical grid.
Solar energy is renewable and sustainable because it uses the sun’s
The creation of solar energy requires little maintenance and solar electricity power plants produce zero emissions. Solar power plants use two different types of technologies: Concentrated solar power and Photovoltaic systems. Concentrated solar power plants, also known as “concentrated solar thermal”, uses solar thermal energy to make steam that is converted into electricity by a turbine. A photovoltaic system, also known as solar panels, generates electricity from sunlight. It is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy.
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.
One extremely popular source of alternate energy is solar. This energy has been around for a large sum of years and is quite well known as solar panels are being installed on buildings and houses every day. Solar power relies on the enormous amount of energy that comes from the sun in the form of heat and light. This energy arrives in packets called photons, which hit the atoms in solar cells placed on houses and open fields. These photons knock out the electrons which then flow through the cell’s circuit, this, in turn, creates electricity (Figure 1). An electrical panel attached to the circuit then transfers this energy into the house to power lights and appliances. The reason this method of creating power is so popular is due to its many evident advantages. One of which includes the environmental benefits solar panels have. These benefits
The greatest energy that can be produced by the sun is electricity. Photovoltaics, or solar cells, capture the sun and convert it into electricity. Solar cells were discovered by the Europeans back in the 1870’s when they used selenium to develop the telegraph. They found that when light hits selenium it would produce and electrical current. Soon enough there were many scientists and engineers working on photovoltaic systems. Silicon and Selenium proved to be the two best elements to conduct electricity when light hits them. Photovoltaic systems (PV cell) work by converting the suns light into electricity. A semi conducting material absorbs the sunlight, that energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, this allows the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. The further development of solar cells can be attributed to the satellite industry. Solar cells were expensive and there was no use for them until satellites came. Because it is impractical to tether satellites it became important to develop solar energy at any cost that would power these satellites. This created a sustainable market for solar power, the first of its kind.
Currently solar power is beginning to expand horizontally throughout communities. This growth is creating a demand that is beginning to reduce the expense of purchasing and installing solar panels. The concept is catching on and the technology is improving as the demand increases.
As long as our sun exists, we can get indefinitely amount of solar power. In California some industries, factories, hospital, schools, and private homes use solar energy as primary energy source. Energy from the sun can provide us year to year consistent energy power. For example, in west La College uses solar energy for their teaching purpose. The advantage of having solar energy is more efficient than any other energy sources. Once the solar panel mounted, we can get a free charge of electric power throughout the year. The California government supports their community to use solar power for a better electric usage because the benefit of using solar power is more important and efficient than any other power
Solar power is the most abundant most renewable resource that we have and it is free. The process starts when the sun shines on Solar PV panels that have been installed on your roof. Photovoltaic refers to the scientific process by which solar energy is converted into electricity. There are a number of silicon cells within each PV panel. These react with photons, or units of light, from the sun to produce direct current or electricity. DC electricity then travels to an inverter, which converts this energy to electricity known as alternating current or AC that can be used in your home or office. AC electricity then travels to the distribution network in your home powering your domestic or office appliances. When your solar panels produce more electricity than your home or office is using, the extra electricity gets fed back into the national grid. Yet, there are many processes the PV cell actually goes through to produce power of electricity. The top and bottom layer of the PV cells are protective glass layers with conducting coding’s. Electricity in the form of electrons flows in and out of these conducting coding’s while electrical production process happens in the middle layer of the PV cell. At the molecular level, a photon strikes a dye molecule absorbed on the surface of the TiO2 causing an excited state, which releases an electron into the TiO2 that exists through the conductive layer. The
First of all, there are numerous advantages to using solar energy unlike our traditionally used sources like oil, gas, and coal. It is not only beneficial to owners, but it benefits the environment
In contrast, some believe that renewable energy is a key factor involved in helping the economy to grow. Many jobs are created in the manufacturing and running of renewable energy plants. The renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies created 8.5 million new jobs and $970 billion in revenue in the year 2006 (Langwith, “Renewable Energy is Economically”). The American Solar Energy Society says by 2030 it could generate up to $4.5 trillion in revenue for the U.S and create 40 million new jobs. This would represent one in every four jobs (Langwith, “Renewable Energy is Economically”). This shows how vital it is to get renewable energy companies in the U.S. It is important to build a stable economy again and do it all while helping the environment.
Solar is quickly becoming a popular project to take on. Not only does it help save the environment, but it can also help save money for businesses and homes that elect to make the switch to solar. However, completing a solar project is expensive and it is important to look for ways to promote efficiency of the install and of the system itself.
Solar energy is a type of energy that is used in many households all around the world it is a renewable resource meaning once you use it you can replace it. It is a great energy source that is going to rule over coal and oil when we run out of fossil fuels. Electricity received from the panels is light energy that has been converted.
There are two main forms of solar power: The use of photovoltaic, or PV, cells, and the use of thermal energy from the sun. Photovoltaic cells exploit the photoelectric effect, which converts the protons from the light of the sun into electrons, which can be converted into energy. Photovoltaic energy accounts for fifteen gigawatts of global energy, which is equivalent to fifteen large electric power plants. Also, the production of PV cells has increased by two thousand times over the past twenty years, and it is expected to continue to grow. Solar-thermal energy takes the thermal energy created by the sun and turns it into electricity. Although it only only produces as much energy as one large power plant, solar-thermal energy has many domestic uses. It can not only be used for electricity, but also for solar heating, which uses sunlight to heat up houses. Solar power has already proven to be a reliant source of energy, and it will only continue to improve in technology and
There have been solar panels for a long time, but who invented them? In 1839, Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the “photovoltaic effect” which explains how electricity can be generated from sunlight. Photovoltaic means when sunlight is converted it turns into a flow of electrons (electricity). He claimed that “shining light on an electrode immersed in a conductive solution would create an electric current.” Over 100 years later, in 1941, Russell Ohl invented the solar cell, shortly after the invention of the transistor. Light (photons) striking certain compounds, such as metals, causes the surface of the material to emit electrons. A light that strikes other compounds causes the material to accept electrons. It is the combination of these
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
Solar power is one of the most environmentally benign energy sources available. Just 20 days of sunshine produces the same amount of energy as everything stored in Earth’s reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas—yet does not come close to producing the same amount of environmental damage as even one of those options (Greentips, 2005). Solar farms are a clean renewable source that can meet high energy demands and can creates thousands of jobs in the future. It is also used during peak demand for electricity. During the hottest days, the panels are absorbing more energy while homeowners have the a.c. on full blast. They can be installed anywhere