Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Ultimate Guide To Solar

By Dennis Harig


Important Facts about Solar Energy

Solar energy is a newly popular concept when it comes to the discussion of energy usage today; it is of the utmost importance that you understand some of the basic facts about solar energy so you can appreciate all of its applications and potential. Solar energy is one of the most popular alternative energy sources out there today; it is both extremely easy to use as well as extremely ecologically friendly.

To first understand solar energy, you need to understand the history of it all.

We are not the first of humans to want to utilize the sun for energy; many ancient civilizations realized that the sun harnessed unlimited power. Centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci began conceiving the idea of an industrial water heater powered by solar energy. Then, in the year 1839, a French scientist did studies on the photovoltaic effect on electrolytic cell. Da Vinci's dream finally started to become true in 1894 when the first solar water heater was invented and patented by an inventor.

Another man, in 1913, then built the world's first solar thermal power station. This particular solar thermal power station helped revolutionize Egypt's irrigation system by running a 65 horsepower engine to pump nearly 6,000 gallons of water from the Nile to surrounding crops. The last historical milestone in solar energy happened in 1954 when the Bell Laboratories designed the first modern photovoltaic solar cell.

Here are some very interesting facts about the technical aspects of solar energy.

When it comes to solar devices there are two main types, passive and active. The difference between the two is this; passive solar devices are thermal based while active solar devices take advantage of photovoltaic cells in order to work. Because these active devices utilize the module solar cells to turn light into energy directly, these are the most common energy transformation devices available today. When there is a passive thermal based device being used, it usually uses molten salts as solar energy holders. As the technology in solar energy continues to increase, it is becoming estimated that by the year 2060 we will be using solar energy to power 33% of the entire world's power needs.

The attraction to solar energy only continues to grow as time passes. Solar energy is one of the few resources that is virtually limitless. When it comes to clean energy, there is no competing with solar power; solar energy is almost the only power resource to not emit any greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Solar energy is also one of the must self-sufficient energy sources around today; a solar powered energy device can go decades without the need of repair or even regular maintenance. As you can see, it all boils down to being efficient and being conscious of the environment, which is why solar energy is so important to us today.




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