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Solar Energy

Solar energy is a free source of all naturally energy that we will never run out of. Using it produces no air or water pollution and it takes nothing away from our environment. Energy that comes from the sun can be converted into thermal (heat) energy and used to heat water for homes, building or swimming pools as well as heat and cool the inside of homes and other buildings. 

Photovoltaic devices (solar cells) and solar power plants are the two ways in which solar energy can be converted into electricity. Solar cells change sunlight directly into electricity in remote locations that are not connected to the electric grid. They are also used to power watches, calculators and lighted road signs. Solar power plants indirectly generate electricity with heat from solar thermal collectors which are used to heat a fluid which produces steam that is used to generate solar energy.

Some of the disadvantages to relying on solar energy: the amount of sunlight that arrives at the surface of the earth is not constant. It depends on the location, time of day, time of year, and weather conditions. Also, the sun doesn’t deliver a lot of energy to one particular place at one particular time, so a large surface area is required to collect energy at a useful rate.

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