Solar Energy

Solar energy holds much promise for supplying some of our energy needs today and more so in the future. There are currently several ways in which solar energy can be used to generate electricity or heat.

Photovoltaic panels are the most common way to convert sunlight into electricity. These panels produce electricity when exposed to sun light. They create DC or direct current electricity which must be converted to AC or alternating current for practical use. The AC electricity can be used as power for the location where is is produced or be fed back into the power grid to be used by other consumers.

A photovoltaic power system is expensive and will not produce all the electricity used by most homes. However, a home can be built to use PV as its only power source with careful choices of appliances and lifestyle.

Solar energy can also be utilized to heat water or air. A common application is a solar hot water heater. This consists of a solar panel mounted on the roof and plumbed into your water heater. When the sun is shining, the system will heat the water in your hot water tank for free. A larger version of such a system can also be used for heating the home.

Solar energy can also be used to heat the air in the home by either a passive or active means.

There are many ways in which we can utilize the sun's energy to supply at least part of the energy we need for our society. Once solar systems are in place, they produce no CO2 or other emissions and can operate as such for many years.

Solar energy is one of the keys to our energy future.

Below are some solar energy links:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/ - The US Department of Energy solar energy page.

http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html - The National Renewable Energy Laboratory solar basics page.

http://www.ases.org/ - The American Solar Energy Society

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar.html - The US Department of Energy kids solar page.

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