Solar Energy

What is Solar Power?

Pros and cons of solar energy
How Costly is a Solar Power System
Top 5 Reasons to Use Solar Power
Does solar power have a future?
Solar Energy News

What is Solar Power?

The sun is the focal point of our solar system, and provides heat and light to all the planets revolving around it in the form of radiation. The infra red heat rays of the sun are incident on the earth’s surface during the day time. There is a high potential in these incident rays. This potential is harnessed by man in the form of power called the solar power.

Solar power is being used by us in two different forms

1. thermal energy
2. solar electric energy

The thermal energy of the sun is directly used for heating purposes. The application of this can be seen in heating water of swimming pools, either directly during sunny days or indirectly using heat conducting fluids in pipes and transferring the heat to the water in the swimming pool during cloudy days. Thermal energy is also used directly in drying clothes, drying seeds and other food products to keep them from pest attack and improve their shelf life. We also use thermal power for plant growth. Direct heat is also used in cooking food, as in solar cookers. Here a series of heat absorbing black coloured panel is used to absorb rays falling on it. This is reflected on the cooking vessel by a mirror there by  maximising the effect of heat falling on it, solar water heaters also work in a similar fashion but do not have mirrors attached to them.

The energy got from the sun can also be used to produce electricity. This is called the solar electric energy. This energy is harness by using solar panels which in turn are connected to grids that carry the electricity. The electricity producing power of solar energy is called Photovoltis.

Solar electricity can be produced in three different ways.

1. Stand alone system – here panels are set up to absorb the incident solar radiation. This is then converted to electricity. The electricity is not being stored and is rather used directly without the help of a grid. Such systems are useful in situations like that of a lone forest guest house where difficulty may be faced in laying electricity lines. Here the cost of installing solar power panel might work out to be cheaper than laying power lines.

2. Grid connected system – such system is commonly used in houses for use in various small household electrical appliances. Here the produced energy is saved in a grid which can be used later. This helps in a continuous supply of power and can be reliable, and regular use is possible in such a system.

3. Back up system – in situations where the power grid may be unreliable a back up is used. The reason to use backup may be due to frequent power failures. In such conditions, most of the household appliances are connected to the backup system, if there is a power failure they take up energy from the solar batteries. This can also be used in community lighting and other larger power requirement can be fulfilled.

Pros and cons of solar energy
Pros and cons of solar energy

As all other energy sources solar energy also has its own pros and cons. The various pros of solar energy are as given below:

• Pollution free – The most important advantage is that it does not produce any harmful gases or effluents during power production. This is important in current context of growing importance of ozone layer depletion and global warming etc.
• Renewable source of energy – solar energy is the harnessing of energy received from the sun, thus it is renewable, and does not get over when used, unlike other fossil fuels which become lesser and lesser over time and becomes extinct completely.
• Energy can be harnessed in remote areas – The best feature of solar energy is that it can be harnessed in very remote areas, where every other form of energy production is risky or not possible at all. An example of this is the production of electricity in satellites.
• Does not require special area/place to install – Installation of solar panels does not require special or large areas, the panels can be installed in the roof tops of buildings.
• Free source to produce energy – Solar energy need not be bought, it is free of cost. The installation process is the only stage where money is spent.
• Dependence on fossil fuel is reduced – the emergence of solar energy has reduced the high dependence on the fossil fuels which is becoming very costly.
• Reduces health costs – increased use of solar energy reduces the cost spent on health indirectly because there is no emissions like carbon, sulphur di oxide, etc and also acid rains.
• Independent working – once installed the solar panels work on their own and do not require any manual operation.
• Low to no maintenance – maintenance cost of solar panels is meagre. Sometimes no maintenance is required.

Pros and cons of solar energy
How Costly is a Solar Power System
Top 5 Reasons to Use Solar Power
Does solar power have a future?
Solar Energy News

Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

As all other energy sources solar energy also has its own pros and cons.

The various pros of solar energy are as given below:

• Pollution free – The most important advantage is that it does not produce any harmful gases or effluents during power production. This is important in current context of growing importance of ozone layer depletion and global warming etc.

• Renewable source of energy – solar energy is the harnessing of energy received from the sun, thus it is renewable, and does not get over when used, unlike other fossil fuels which become lesser and lesser over time and becomes extinct completely.

• Energy can be harnessed in remote areas – The best feature of solar energy is that it can be harnessed in very remote areas, where every other form of energy production is risky or not possible at all. An example of this is the production of electricity in satellites.

• Does not require special area/place to install – Installation of solar panels does not require special or large areas, the panels can be installed in the roof tops of buildings.

• Free source to produce energy – Solar energy need not be bought, it is free of cost. The installation process is the only stage where money is spent.

• Dependence on fossil fuel is reduced – the emergence of solar energy has reduced the high dependence on the fossil fuels which is becoming very costly.

• Reduces health costs – increased use of solar energy reduces the cost spent on health indirectly because there is no emissions like carbon, sulphur di oxide, etc and also acid rains.

• Independent working – once installed the solar panels work on their own and do not require any manual operation.

• Low to no maintenance – maintenance cost of solar panels is meagre. Sometimes no maintenance is required.

The cons of solar energy are given below

• Initial cost – the cost of installing solar panels on houses is very high. It is sometimes of the tune of $10000 or above for good efficient cells. This makes it to be looked upon in a disadvantageous position when compared to coal and other conventional power production methods.

• Time of production – energy is produced only when suns heat is available i.e., during the day, also during cloudy days the production of power is very low on nil during nights.

• Weather dependent – during rainy and winter seasons the production of power is very less. This creates problem in areas where the seasonal changes are pronounced, making the cost of installation a waste.

• Effect of pollution – in locations where the air is polluted power production is seen to be reduced because the efficiency of solar cell becomes less.

Green Alternative Energy & Renewable Energy Resources

Green Alternative Energy & Renewable Energy Resources

What is green alternative energy?

Renewable energy is just that, an energy source that can be used over and over again, energy generated from natural resources from the world around us.

You are likely familiar with most of the renewable green energy resources, as these in recent years have enjoyed a sustained growth as we seek to find more power from natural energy resources in an effort to move on from the constant use of fossil fuels, which damage our global ecosystems.

The most common green alternative energy / natural energy resources are sunlight (solar), wind, rain, tides and geothermal heating. According to recent figures '06 approximately 18 percent of worldwide final energy was provided by natural energy renewables, around 13% of this natural energy came from biomass fuels (wood and natural matter). The next largest supply of natural alternative green energy came from Read more

Does solar power have a future?

Since its introduction as a possible source of energy solar power has been taking very small steps in terms of its efficient use of the suns and the production of power. Solar energy has caught on in recent years as people and nations try to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels. The question therefore remains “Does solar power have a future?”

Future wise solar power is all set to be there and more advancement is likely to be made in this field. Huge solar panels may someday power spaceships in their long journeys across the solar system. Space stations will derive energy from solar panels attach to their bodies and scientists even claim that they would be able to power satellites through their orbit with the help of solar power.

Solar power is the right choice for us and there is no doubt about that and that doubt has to be cleared first. Well why we go for solar power when there are so many means of energy alternatives. The answer is simple, solar power is available for free and this free energy will help us to fuel our economies and our lifestyle needs in the coming centuries.

The sun shines and radiates heat and light throughout the solar system. It is the sustainer of all forms of life and without sunlight the basic constituents of life would have never formed. Sunlight along with water feeds our plants which in turn maintain the oxygen balance in our planet. Without the rays of the sun all plants would vanish and we would also perish in the process. So it is wise to go for an energy source which is available throughout the year and moreover it comes free of cost.

A solar powered device is slow but it is cheap and there is no complexity involved in its structure till date. But man is innovative and researchers have devised many ways of bringing solar power into use in gigantic proportions. Mega structures of the world include solar powered wind mills which would be used to produce hydroelectricity. The designs are under process and very soon they would be implemented into proper use and this is the beginning of a new energy revolution.

An energy revolution would be brought about by a solar device and the solar devices will be the future of the human race. The human race is inching towards a new dawn of scientific innovations which would be beneficial for the human race in totality. The backbone of this revolution will be solar power. Solar power will be the future of mankind and every possible solution regarding energy can be found in solar power. In short solar power has a very bright future and the day is not far behind when everything would be done through solar power.

Top 5 Reasons to Use Solar Power

Energy is one of the hottest topics of twenty first century because development of nations today is gauged from the way they have progressed technologically. With the advent of modern machinery a novel source of energy was found in the form of petroleum, coal, kerosene oil and many other such derivatives.

However the excessive use of fossil fuel in industry and vehicles pollutes the atmosphere resulting in acid rain and many respiratory diseases. It is for this and other reasons that a growing number of people are becoming more and more interested in the use of alternate, environment friendly energy resources. This quest has pushed us to look beyond the norm and what could be the better option other than solar power itself.

Here are five reasons why we should use Solar Power are as follows:

Site of production

Solar energy is natural source of energy from which all organisms derive their energies. In this respect it is like a large battery charger which is ceaselessly feeding us all. Limitations of other forms of energy is that they can be produced at local sites or at specific points of globe but this source of energy can be utilized wherever light of sun can reach. It can be used to cook food, to light up a bulb, to run electricity in domestic as well as commercial use.

Source
Source of solar energy is Sun. Our sun is approximately 150 million kilometers from earth. Only a very low amount of sun energy reaches earth yet energy acquired in a single minute is enough to power earth for one complete year if we could find a way to properly utilize it.

Soil affectivity
Method of soil disinfection by solar energy was first described by Katan in 1976. The method basically involves mulching with polyethylene during hot weather which would kill most phytogens owing to achievement of lethal temperatures.

On the other hand, solar cell can be used to generate electric field in some cadmium contaminated soils for its removal. Utility of solar energy was found to be comparable to conventional power supply.

Eco friendly
It could be stated that solar energy is matchless when talk of green house gas emission is there. There is no more addition of carbon dioxide in atmosphere to cause global warming. Or havoc of Acid rains.

No depletion in the source
Solar Power is forever there. It is natural. It has been used in ancient times for drying; heating .now with knowledge of basic underlying processes we can use it for maximum human use and benefit. We only have to search ways and means of utilizing it. Keeping in view that, more than 2 billion of people in world are living without availability for electricity. This is their only hope.

How Costly is a Solar Power System?

A solar power system generally consists of solar cells or the photovoltaic cells, connected to it is the photovoltaic regulators, then the lead-acid batteries, the inverter and finally the generator or the grid.

To any average house the installation of this system may be a bit costly, because, the present cost of installation works out to be $10,000 for the production of 1 kilowatt home solar system. To install such a system it takes hardly 1-2 days and the system can start working soon after.

The interesting fact is that though the initial installation cost may seem to be high the advantages of installation are many. Specifically speaking, a 1 kilowatt per hour power producing panel requires only about 100 square feet of area and this area can be the roof top also, so no special location is required. This produces electric energy of around 1600 Kilo Watt Hour per year during sunny days and 250 KWH in cloudy days where the suns heat is available for 5.5 hours and 2.5 hours daily respectively.

Another important factor in solar power is that we can use it directly to heat water thereby reducing the cost of electricity for heating water. It is observed that in a year the amount of electricity used to heat water in US alone works up to 30% of the total power consumed, when we use solar heaters this cost is completely free.

The solar electricity can be used for different purposes like cooking too which reduces our dependency on other fossil fuels. When we use a back up system the electricity can be obtained continuously and can also be stored in batteries for emergency use.

There are some useful tips to harness higher energy from the incident rays. These are:

• Orientation – the orientation of panels is very important because it decides the amount of rays incident on the panels. In the northern hemisphere the orientation should be towards the south and vice versa in the southern hemisphere.

• Location – the panel has to be located in a shade free area where suns radiation can reach. Roof tops are ideal. The amount of energy actually harnessed depends wholly on the location. Hence a proper weather study helps to tap higher energy.

• Number of panels – the number of panels to produce 1KWH of electric energy is about 10; this number can be increased if and when necessary.
Though the initial costs are high the cost of power after installation is completely free. This reduces the entire electricity bill thereafter. It reduces the cost of burning of 170lbs of coal and 300lbs of CO2 from being emitted in to the atmosphere in a year.

Thus we are able to get high quality, best free energy and no bills.