Solar Power & Solar Energy
Solar power is one of the most bountiful sources of energy that is available on Earth. The energy that reaches the planet from the sun, in the form of heat and light, is responsible for the existence of every living thing. Plants get all of their energy from the sunlight, and so any animal that eats a plant is obtaining its energy indirectly from the sun. The sun is also responsible for keeping the Earth warm so that we can live on it, and therefore for producing the wind and weather.
Solar energy is a clean and renewable source of energy that has huge potential. The sun produces huge amounts of energy, much of which is not currently exploited on Earth. Only a tiny fraction of the sunlight that reaches our planet is currently used by plants or for solar power production. There is a lot of solar energy available for exploitation if we choose to use it to produce power for our homes and industries.
People have always relied on the sun for the food that it helps to produce and for the heat and light that it provides, but it is only more recently that we have become able to harness the power of the sun in order to produce electricity. The technology of solar power has made it possible to convert sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic cells can produce electricity from sunlight on a commercial scale, or for use in a single home.
The amount of power that can be produced from sunlight depends upon how much sunlight is available. Solar power can be more efficient in sunnier climates, although the increasing efficiency of solar technology has made it possible for solar power to be used even in cloudier environments.
Interest in solar power has been increasing as the technology has improved. It is now possible to produce far more electricity, more efficiently, from sunlight than in was when this form of electricity production was first created. Solar panels have become smaller and less obtrusive. They have also become much cheaper. Fitting solar panels to the roof of your home is today a viable and affordable option for many families. The technology has also opened up more opportunities for commercial electricity production, particularly through concentrating technologies that focus the sunlight using large mirrors, with large solar power plants being constructed in the sunniest parts of the world, such as North Africa. Solar power can be exported internationally from these power plants.
Solar power can also be used to heat water rather than to produce electricity. This involves much simpler technology, but the temperature to which the water can be heated depends upon the climate. Solar water heating is far more efficient in hot and sunny parts of the world.
Since the weather can affect the amount of sunlight that is available for conversion into electricity, and because there is no sunlight to be used at night, solar power is an intermittent source of energy. In order for it to be able to provide a constant source of power, the energy that is produced must be stored in some way. It is also possible to ensure a constant supply of energy by using other types of renewable energy such as wind power or hydroelectricity alongside solar power.