Solar Energy - A Sustainable Power

                                                                Solar Energy - A Sustainable Power

Since ancient times the sun was considered as a source of energy: spiritual and other wise. It is so sad to find out that in
fact only 10% of solar energy is actually used. Perhaps if we are more aware of its use and its capacity as a sustainable
power then maybe we will be able to use and promote solar power.

The Beginning of All Things: Unbeknownst to a lot of people, solar energy actually is the source of numerous sustainable
powers like radiation, waves and wind. Solar energy has many usage it can give us light, heat, promote cooling, it can be
harnessed through technology to power many things like for machines cooking, distillation, hot water, and disinfection.

Technology and The Sun: As we all know heat produces unfathomable amounts of energy. This energy has to be aided by
technology in order to be converted into something that is usable by mankind. There are two types of solar technology, the
passive and or the active solar energy. A classification between the two depends on how the heat from the sun is harnessed
and channeled into ordinary things powered by electricity. Active Solar Technologies use solar (photovoltaic) panels,
combined with solar thermal collectors, and then channeled thru mechanical or electrical equipment. Passive solar
technology is merely a technique in order to capture the suns useful rays; for example a skylight.

Electricity From The Sun: We are all familiar with the term 'solar panel"; solar panels convert the heat from the sun into
actual electrical current with the use of what is called the photoelectric effect. Concentrated solar power produces
insurmountable energy. In fact it was greatly utilized during the time of the Ancient Chinese Civilization. To concentrate the
power of the sun, a series of mirrors and lenses are used in order to focus the light in one area thereby producing a single
beam. There are a lot of technological advances out there that concentrates solar energy in order to produce a
concentrated amount of power they are: the solar power tower, the parabolic dish and the solar trough.

Dilemma, Solution, And Economics: The primary concern of the use of solar energy as a sustainable power is that there is
no sun during the night. Modern times require continuous supply that is why storing solar energy is a key component of
solar technology. Thermal storage systems can store solar energy. Newer scientific discoveries also paved the way for
thermal mass storage systems which vary storage capacity and function by storing more energy during off peak times and
varying supply at peak consumption hours. It usually takes a crisis for people to actually look at possibilities, and like with
almost everything else solar energy began getting attention after the 1979 oil crisis and the 1973 oil embargo. In fact solar
technology began its appearance in the 18 hundreds. IN the past solar energy as a sustainable power was a dream but
cannot be realized due to expensive technology needed to use it. Today, with the rising costs of electricity, the volatile oil
prices, and its degenerating source have paved the way for solar energy once more. The consciousness environmental
welfare has prompted companies to manufacture affordable solar technologies and sell it commercial. Indeed it is a fact that
solar technology is expensive but it is only in the purchase of the machines needed in the long run if you calculate it, you
are actually getting a bargain.
                                                  Solar Energy – New Discoveries
The day may not be far off when the use of solar energy becomes a norm. There is now a deep conviction among experts
that given a few years time, solar power will be in high demand that the cost will go down, inexpensive enough to undercut
the prices of oil-generated electricity. Previous predictions that it will still happen in a decade may no longer be true. The
anger generated by the recent prices in oil and its vulnerability to market forces and other events may have already been
enough to polarized people, governments and scientific communities into seriously considering a reliable alternative energy
source.
You can not get a source more reliable than the sun. Even today homes that uses its power does not only benefit from the
silent, energy generating, inexhaustible power of the sun, it also spikes up the prices of their homes. Those that have solar
powered homes are even reimbursed for the surplus power that they supply to the power grid. Presently, heliostats,
photovoltaic cells and plate collectors are being used to collect the energy by focusing these panels towards the sun or
constructing and installing the panel's on spots where the sun shines most. Development in technology as we all know often
has a snowball effect. It never stops rediscovering and reinventing that the speed of development could often be
surprisingly fast.

Today, a polymer foil, thin as a sheet of paper and lighter by 200 times when compared to the regular glass collecting
plates, are being developed. Chances are, these new inventions and discoveries could very well have a great potential for
mass production. Previously, the glass-based materials used for heat collection need expensive substrates and require
additional support for mounting due to its weight. The polymer foil, being very light could now be attached even to the walls
of a structure. So confident are scientists in the development of this technology that while the polymer foil is being
developed, a plastic solar cell, based on nano technology is gaining breakthroughs. This plastic material can collect the
power of the sun even on a cloudy day through harnessing the infrared rays is believed to be five times more efficient than
the current technology. While plastic materials for harnessing the power of the sun are not new, it is only recently that this
plastic composite could harvest the infrared portion. Previously, only the visible rays are generated, the infrared part, which
is half of the power of the sun, is invisible.
Currently, the best plastic solar cells could only harness 6% of the suns energy, with further study and development, this
new plastic solar cells are expected to harness 30% of the suns solar power.
Scientists and researchers alike agree that ultimately, solar farms will be harnessing all our energy requirements and costs
of power will drop. Today the price of solar powered energy is about 3 to 4 times per kilowatt hour compared with
conventional electricity. That could change dramatically though the development of the existing technology and recent
discoveries.mThe roller pressed flexible plastic materials and the polymer foil are only two of the best hopes in arriving at a
cleaner, greener and safer environment that could ultimately free the planet from its dependency on the depleting supply of
oil.
                                                                 What Is Solar Energy
In order to know where to find solar energy you must first know what solar energy is. Solar energy is energy from the sun.
When the sun is shining solar energy is being produced as it sends the heat radiating to the earth. You can find solar
energy anywhere or anything that the sun can shine on. There is a way that you can save the sunlight in order to provide
heat during the cold, which is what millions of people have done throughout the years. It started thousands of years ago
when people where able to use a thick lens or magnifying glass on an object that would attract the sun rays on that
particular object and could get so hot it would catch fire. This gave a new prospective on how strong the heat from the sun
really was.
The problem with capturing the suns heat is the fact that when it reaches the earths surface it does not go to one particular
spot. It is spread evenly over the earth where the sunlight is able to reach. When this happens you may find it difficult to
heat something using only the sunlight. Although the area or object may be hot if left in the sun too long it will not reach the
full heating potential of the sun's light. In order to use the heat efficiently to heat a room after the sun goes down or when
the sun is unable to shine because of clouds you will need to use a source that will attract the heat to one particular area.
This source is called a solar collector. The solar collector attracts a lot of sunlight to one particular area allowing the sun to
pass through the source and into the space. The objects in the space absorb and hold the heat from the sunlight and
trapping it so it will not get back out with the help of the source. Glass is a great solar collector because it allows the sun to
pass through it and into the space but the heat from the sun can rarely escape leaving the space under the glass to
become warm or hot from the heat. The objects in the space help to hold the heat as it comes in so that the space will stay
warmer longer. This allows the area to be heated using solar power. Because glass is a natural solar collector it makes it
great to put into a greenhouse or a sun room. The glass attracts the sunlight and traps the heat inside so that they
temperature in the greenhouse or sun room remain warm even at night when the temperature outside may be cold.
Solar energy can be found anywhere the sun shines but in order to fill the heat you must have direct sunlight for an
extended period of time. If you just use the morning sun to heat your home your house may not stay warm through the
night.
                                        Solar Energy Is A Form Of Green Energy Source

Solar energy is a green energy source because it is a renewable and it does not cause any harm to the environment. This is
achieved by converting the sun's rays into electricity with the help of solar cells.
There are three basic approaches how we can use this form of green energy source namely passive, active and by using
photovoltaic cells. When we refer to passive solar energy, nothing is converted. What happens is the building's design
helps avoid heat loss and gets the most out of day lighting. Such a technique can also be used in homes because studies
have shown that this can reduce the heating requirements by as much as 80% with minimal cost. This means you don't have
to turn on the air condition or heater that often and if everyone does that, we don't consume that much electricity which we
get from non-renewable resources.
The second approach which is active solar energy is the first way of converting sunlight into heat. You should know that
there are certain limits to this one and all it can do is make sure you have hot water.

The third approach is the big scale version and it can power an office or an entire home. This is done with the help of solar
cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The smallest ones around can be seen in calculators and watches with large ones
planted over huge acres of land. The only limitation to this green energy source is the fact that it can only generate power
when the weather is good and the sun is out. Should it rain, then nothing is collected and converted. When this happens,
the auxiliary system is turned on until the weather improves. Despite that, scientists and students themselves have made
solar powered cars. NASA or the National Aeronautical Space Administration has sent satellites into space that are powered
by solar panels. A fully functional airport can function on its own thanks to solar power even if it is situated in the middle of
the frozen desert. So people can see the awesome power of solar energy, did you know a kilowatt of solar energy can
produce 5.5 hours of electricity per day. If you have more solar cells in place, naturally you will be able to produce enough
power to last several days. Solar energy is just one form of green energy source around. Through the years, we have
learned to tap other resources and these examples include wind power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity and biogas.
These are all safe and by using these more often, we don't need to depend on oil which is a nonrenewable resource.
To make this happen, we have to persuade our law makers to promote the use of such resources. Although you hear
speeches left and right about their concern for the environment, it is all talk and not that much action. It is something that
has to change. Two countries that have increased solar usage happen to be Germany and Japan. Spain, France, Italy and
South Korea are next in the list and where is the United States? Well, one thing is for certain and that it is not in the top 10
despite the fact that it is an industrialized nation.
                                 Solar Energy – It Is Popular. So Why Is It Not Yet Widely Used?
The fact is, the 350,000,000 terawatts of power available from the sun is so huge that an exposure to a full sun in only 15
minutes will be enough to generate the world's energy requirement
Compare that with energy that is generated by nuclear and fossil fuel. Presently, the available data for fossil and nuclear
fuel is 10,800,000 terawatts which we all know to be non renewable.

To produce electricity, utility companies burn fossil fuels that translate to 1.3 pounds of carbon dioxide to produce 1kw of
electrical power. This unwanted CO2 emissions are dumped into the atmosphere. This then translates into each typical
home being accountable yearly for 22,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.   The harnessing of the sun's rays is clean and safe. It
produces no emissions and it is practical and may in the years ahead, prove very economical. In the United States, only
0.1% of power that is generated is solar energy driven. So what are the obstacles? According to the Wall Street Journal (in
an article that was released in its August 2008 issue), there are groups, backed by political groups that are lobbying against
the putting up of transmission lines for solar power. The construction of distribution lines for solar energy is also being
blocked by environmental activists that restrict the delivering of solar energy to those who want it in their homes. Another
obstacle is that the power grid in the United States which was designed more than 100 years ago is now so congested in
many regions. To deliver the solar power to consumers, scientists and engineers will have to come out with another cost
efficient plan to transfer huge amounts of energy from one location to another.
Solar panels are considered expensive. Although a home increases its value by folds when solar powered, the costs still
could be prohibitive to most that unless the non silicon flexible solar panels that are now being developed are released for
market consumption, powering homes through solar energy could still be very limited.   Other forms of rewards to avoid
fossil fuel use should still be effectively placed. The 30% tax cut to projected cost previously awarded will be more attractive
if other federal credits are included to encourage further investments.

The global warming issue that has been brought to the papers is a recurrent subject of talk shows and remains to be a good
news item. Also, the too unstable pump prices, should and for most part, already be a good incentive to use this alternative
source of energy. However, effective solar energy transmission to homes will remain to be very hard unless these obstacles
are breached. Assuming that these obstacles are solved today, it will still take some 10 years to convert 20% of American
homes into solar energy users. Meanwhile, solar panels on individual homes remain to be the most viable alternative. The
good part to solar energy quest is that technology is advancing very rapidly. Nano technology for solar power is being
developed and may be available in five years time. Other breakthroughs in cell designs are also being developed that could,
in the next few years, be a cost-effective way of generating energy without having to rely anymore on fossil and nuclear
power.
                                     Solar Energy – The Advantages And Disadvantages
Perhaps the greatest argument that could be leveled about having to use fossil and nuclear fuel is our dependence on it.
Global warming, though a real serious threat, maybe something that we could only be very worried about. Singly nothing
much could be done about it as it will take serious political will if it is to be addressed effectively and for now, other countries
are not cooperating. But the choice between traditional and alternative sources of energy, that is something most of us can
choose to do.
First the advantages:
Solar energy is abundant and is free. We can count the sun to rise tomorrow and the day after that. Oil and natural gases
on the other hand are non renewable, once the source taps out, it is gone forever. Sure there are other areas that could still
be tapped but sooner that could run out of oil as well. Solar energy does not pollute the air. If ever, the heat coming from
the sun cleans the environment and maintains the earth's eco balance. Not so with oil. Oil, its derivatives and its byproducts
are great pollutants. In fact, 22,000 pounds of carbon monoxide will need to be produced first for the oil to be processed
and supply a home with electrical energy for a year. Solar energy harnessing panels are silent operators. Except maybe for
the mechanical contraptions that are built into the panels so it could track the sun, from the collection of the suns rays to its
photovoltaic conversion, they give neither a peep nor a squeak. It is a world of difference from the cacophony of giant drills
and pumps that are used to extract oil form the ground. Maintenance for the solar panels is very minimal. Except for the
mechanical parts that are optional, almost no maintenance is needed. Once it is installed nothing much will be the cause for
worry. The energy that is derived is free. With oil there is no telling what the next pump price would be and when. Oil, being
a commodity, heavily depend its prices on market forces. Often with the right strategies, even market forces could be
manipulated that could cause volatility in pricing.
The Disadvantages of Solar Energy:
The cost. While solar energy is free, the cost of installation setbacks many household from installing it. Brand new solar
energy generating systems are expensive. Although it tends to pay off overtime, initial cash out could range into several
thousands of dollars depending on the quality and volume of generated power a household or an establishment would
require. While solar energy technology has been around since the 1950's it is only in recent years that its development was
spurred. While costs of installation could also be subjective depending on the purchasing capacity of a customer, the
benefits that could be derived out of it is enormous although mostly in unquantifiable terms.

For mass consumption, distribution lines are needed and this remains to be a big issue. Old antiquated distribution lines
used to transfer electricity and other modes of fuel into the homes are clogged in many regions that to deliver solar energy
power into the houses of consumers will require a different approach.
Be that as it may, the benefits from solar power far outweigh its disadvantages. It is an ideal source of energy that it may
soon be the norm in power generation.