Top Stories Facts on Solar Power The world is facing a lot of problems including that of environmental concerns like pollution and global warming. Despite these problems, people should not despair. In every problem, there is always a solution and this solution has been available for many years now. It’s just that many people fail to realize its importance and efficacy. Researchers and scientists have already discovered solar power many years ago but because of the lack of technological knowledge, the idea was not pursued. Solar power was mainly used for powering small electrical devices. But now, with the great technological advancements, people are hoping that solar power will soon become widely accessible even to ordinary individuals. In the US, solar power is used in the different states but it it’s not that prevalent. Huge solar panels are quite expensive and ordinary people can’t afford to pay for them. You can now find solar power kits which are less costly and the price range from $200 to $500. Before you consider using solar power, here are some facts that you need to be aware of: 1. Albert Einstein received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his experiments on photovoltaic and solar power. 2. Silicon from a ton of sand can be used in photovoltaic panels to generate the same amount of electricity that a 500,000 T of burning coals can produce. 3. 10,000 US households are now using solar energy to power their homes. 4. John Herschel (British Astronomer) was able to cook food by using solar power 200 years ago during his African journey. 5. In 1982, the first large scale power plants was opened in California. 6. If you can use solar power in your home’s heating system, you can slash the electric bill by 50%. 7. In the last thirty years, the price of solar panels has dropped considerably by at least 200%. Solar power kits can now be purchased from $200-$500. 8. In the year 2000, USDOE claimed that solar power is almost perfect (99%) in San Francisco; since California gets a lot of sunlight, 200 megawatts of green electricity can be generated if all the rooftops of county buildings and homes are covered with PV panels. By including school buildings, an added 1,500 megawatts is achievable. The generated power is enough to cover the city’s electrical needs during an entire day. 9. Germany is now using solar power despite its undesirable climate. The energy generated during sunny days is stored in batteries. 10. Energy from the sun travels for approximately 8 minutes to reach Earth. If you’re interested in solar power and you want to try it out, you can start with a solar power kit. It is affordable and easy to assemble. The materials can be purchased from local hardware stores and the guides are easy to understand as well. Make sure that you purchase a kit that is manufactured by a prominent and trusted company to ensure efficiency. Some manufacturers also provide warranty for 10-15 years; take advantage of these great deals. The facts mentioned earlier will help you to decide whether you can benefit from solar power or not. If you live in an area where there is lots of sunlight all throughout the year, solar power is an excellent choice. Solar power is free and clean. After your initial investment, you no longer have to pay for the energy.

A Bright Future for Solar Energy: An Alternative Energy Source I was first introduced to solar energy in the movie, Race the Sun with James Belushi and Halley Berry in the lead. It was a story about low- income and under achieving Hawaiian students encouraged by their teacher to join the Solar Car race. In the movie, a car shaped like a cockroach and covered with solar panels used the sun’s rays as an alternative energy source to run the car. Solar energy is the light and the heat from the sun. Solar energy is free and its supplies are unlimited. There are n air and water pollution caused about by using solar energy. But there is still some impacts on the environment although indirect. Photovoltaic cells used to convert sunlight into electricity uses silicon and also produce some waste materials. There are also large solar thermal farms and these farms can also be harmful to the environment and desert ecosystems if not properly managed. Solar energy can be used on different aspects. Solar energy can be used in agriculture. Greenhouses (which is entirely different from greenhouse gas) convert solar light to heat to be maximized in enhancing the growth of plants and crops. Greenhouses has been around since the Roman times and modern greenhouses were built in Europe in 16th century. Greenhouses are still an important part of horticulture nowadays, Daylight systems are also being used to maximize the energy released by the sun. It is used to provide interior illumination replacing the artificial lighting. Daylight systems include sawtooth roofs, light shelf, skylights, and light tube. Daylight systems when they are properly implemented can reduce lighting-related energy consumption by 25 percent. Solar energy can also be developed into solar thermal technologies which can be used for water heating, space heating, space cooling and process heat generation. Solar energy can also be used to distil water and make saline or brackish water potable or drinkable. The solar water disinfection or SODIS involves exposing water-filled plastic polyethylene terephthalate or PET bottles. This process takes a long time, since the exposure time varies on the weather conditions. It requires a minimum of six hours to two days during days with overcast conditions. Currently, there are two million people in developing centuries use SODIS for their daily drinking water needs. Also sunlight can be converted into electricity using photovoltaics or PV. PV has been mainly used to power small and medium-sized things like a calculator powered by a single solar cell. There are homes powered by photovoltaics. Using solar energy for water and space heating is the most widely use application of solar energy. While ventilation and solar air heating is also growing in popularity. There are three main ways in using solar energy. The main way of using and converting solar energy is by using the solar cells. Solar cells convert light directly into electricity. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic or photoelectric cells. Meanwhile, solar furnaces use a huge array of mirrors to concentrate on the Sun’s energy into a small space and produced very high temperatures. Solar furnaces are also called “solar cookers”. A solar cooker can be used in hot countries to cook food. With all the benefits if using solar energy, there is still a downside for this alternative energy source. It does not work during night time. The cost of setting up solar stations is expensive, but the benefit of using solar energy when accumulated is so much more.
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