Luke Schwartz Environmental ethics Final Paper Photovoltaic Panels Have you ever been to a house or business that uses Solar? Solar power is a great way to save money as well as conserve energy. Solar panels convert sunlight into usable energy for housing, businesses, sections of properties, and even stuff like pool equipment. I want to discuss out the three important points about photovoltaic panels starting with the history of solar panels to understanding panels and how they are built, and finally the environmental aspects of photovoltaic panels. For those who don 't know, solar energy is radiant energy produced by the sun and can be captured through semi conductors to use the energy. Solar energy is used in many parts of the world and has become very poplar today. The history of solar energy goes back to the 1769’s when a “Swiss scientist named Horace-Benedict de Saussure created the first solar collector which was an insulated box covered with three layers of glass to absorb heat energy. Saussure’s box became widely know as the first solar oven, reaching temperatures of 230 degrees fahrenheit.”(7). This complex system of collecting sunlight to create power for all sorts of things became extremely popular and the industry started to boom. An article from solar energy history states that, “In 1947 following the second World War, solar power equipment started being popular among many people in the USA. There was a huge demand of solar equipment.”(7). After this boom
The real question around the beginning of the 19th century concerning solar energy was "could the sun produce electricity directly?" The main motivation behind this desire was that electricity could be stored in a battery, and used later. It would not be necessary to use the device in the sunlight. All inventions failed, until Frank Shuman, an engineer from Pennsylvania finally made a breakthrough. He built an experimental plant that used black troughs covered in glass with a few inches of water. When exposed to the sun, the water got very hot, causing it to circulate and power an electric generator. His data was so convincing that he got financial backers and built the world's first solar electric power plant in Egypt. However, the Eastern Sun Power Company went out of business even though it was using free fuel. It didn't produce enough electricity for the area that it used, 14,000 sq. ft of sun-collecting land (Zweibel 48).
Solar panels don’t burn, instead they harness the suns power which turns it into an electrical current.
the sun is a great and appendant source of energy, it's called solar energy. Solar panels were
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.
Big idea: Solar energy is great for the environment because of no pollution, it gets a lot of energy, and it is a great investment. However, solar panels can come at a high cost to buy and to get installed.
Solar energy has been used for a very long time. The first account of the use of solar energy was from the Greeks. They built their homes in a way that the sun would heat up their houses, even during the cold winters. Ancient Indians also used this method. Let's skip to 1839. In 1839, Edmond Becquerel observed that when certain material was exposed to light, it would create a small amount of electric current. This is the photovoltaic effect(A Brief). This led to John Ericsson developing what he said to be a solar powered steam engine in 1870. Now let’s jump to the late 1950s when a one-watt solar cell costed $300 and a commercial power plant watt cost $0.50 per watt. A scientist was able to demonstrate how a car can
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
Since first discovered in the 1860s, the concept of storing energy from the sun to use as a source of power has been studied and pursued by many programs. Either using solar collectors or photovoltaic cells, the methods of using solar power are becoming more efficient and cost-effective. Solar technology is currently being used by homes and businesses, but is still too expensive and risky for many residents. Researchers are still making advances to solar technology for it to be a feasible energy source in the future.
Solar energy is the most plentiful and purist renewable energy source available. Because it is completely natural, it is considered to be a clean energy source. It does not disrupt the environment or threaten the Eco-systems the way oil and some other energy sources tend to. Nor does it cause greenhouse gases, air or water pollution. Solar energy is an immensely important aspect of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly, we are learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy sources. Modern technology can utilize this energy in a variety of ways, such as; generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, industrial, or commercial use. One day solar energy may well become our primary form of energy. This would lead to a clean environment, less money spent on utilities, and a healthier world. It is highly important because it has the potential to allow technology and nature to co-exist peacefully.
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.
To fully understand the principles of Photovoltaic Energy we first need to learn how is sunlight converted into electrical energy. Photovoltaic cells or (PV) cells or solar cells convert the sunlight directly into electricity (DC). When the sun makes direct contact with the PV cell, the PV cell’s semiconducting materials absorb the light energy and producing
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 panel, which full name is called solar panel electricity systems, also known as solar photovoltaics, capture the sun 's energy using photovoltaic cells. These cells do not need direct sunlight to work, they can still generate some electricity on a cloudy day. The cells convert the sunlight into electricity, which can be used to run household appliances and lighting (energy saving trust, 2014). At the beginning of solar panel 's carry out, it is not known to many people who are used to the traditional way of electricity supplement. However, people started to realize that the traditional energy is not unlimited, and will be depleted quickly with the popularize of new power knowledge. Additionally, The Solar panel which was only a niche market a few years ago, and it is now becoming a mainstream electricity provider, changing the way the world is powered (Masson, 2014). The benefits of using solar panels are also widely accepted by people around the world, such as cut down the electricity bill, get paid for the electricity generate, sell electricity back to the grid, and cut carbon footprint (energy saving trust, 2014).
Solar power harness the sun 's energy to create electricity. Solar energy assets are enormous and boundless, and they can be tackled anyplace that gets sunlight. The measure of solar radiation, otherwise called insolation, coming to the earth 's surface consistently is more than all the energy at present devoured by every single human activity yearly [1]. Various variables, including geographic area, time of day, and current climate conditions, all influence the measure of energy that can engage in for electricity creation or heating purposes.