In Flash

The Sun is a renewable source of heat and light energy.

Solar Energy

The Sun’s solar radiation is the source of the Sun’s energy, which is called solar energy. Each day, the Sun emits enormous amounts of energy. Radiant energy is the main energy source for all life forms and has been powering life on Earth for many millions of years. This renewable resource is increasingly being used to replace fossil fuels. Solar energy can be converted into electricity and used in various ways. It can be harvested directly by many technologies to create solar electricity that can be used in homes and businesses worldwide.

Questions

What’s solar energy?

The Sun’s radiant heat and light can be harnessed to generate solar energy. This includes solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and solar heating. The Sun is a renewable energy source that is sustainable and infinitely available, unlike limited fossil fuels.

Solar energy can heat water for domestic use, heat buildings, and generate electric energy.

Because it is directly generated by the Sun, it is an environmentally friendly energy source. It does not require the burning of fossil fuels.

Solar radiant energy

The Sun’s solar radiation, or light energy, is created by nuclear fusion reactions. It is transmitted through space by electromagnetic radiation as quanta or packets (or photons) of energy. Photovoltaic is a method that produces electricity directly from this light energy. As technology improves and becomes more economical, this process becomes more popular. It is widely used in solar-powered calculators and other devices.

Solar thermal power

Solar thermal or heat energy is widely used in Australia to heat water for domestic use in Solar Water Heaters. This is a great and economical energy solution. Using the Sun’s heat to heat our hot water reduces the need to burn fossil fuels to provide electricity. This technology uses solar thermal energy to make steam at high temperatures to power steam turbines to generate electricity.

Harnessing Solar Energy

The strength of solar energy available at any given point on the Earth depends on the day of the year, the time of the day and the latitude. The orientation and shape of the object collecting the energy can affect the amount. The measure of how much solar energy reaches the Earth’s surface is called insolation.

The amount of sunlight an area receives will depend on the Sun’s angle, how much dust and water vapor are in the air, and the amount and quality of cloud cover. Only half of the radiation energy from the Sun makes its way to the ground. The rest of the radiation energy is absorbed into the atmosphere or reflected into space.

The solar constant is the strength of solar radiation at the Earth’s outer edge when it beats its average distance from Sun. It is also known as solar power. The mean value is 1.37106 ergs/sec per cm2 or approximately 2 calories/min per cm2.

Active Solar Energy

Active solar technology uses electrical or mechanical devices that convert solar energy to another form, usually heat or electricity.

A collector and a fluid that absorbs sunlight are the basis of active solar heating systems. Fans or pumps circulate the heat-absorbing fluid through collectors. After the liquid has been heated, it is transferred to a room or heat storage. Most active water heating systems have a tank to store solar-heated water.

Passive Solar Energy

Passive solar technologies do not use any external devices. They instead use the local climate to heat structures in winter and reflect heat in summer.

Passive solar heating is when the Sun shines through a building’s windows and warms its interior. Passive solar heating is best achieved in buildings with south-facing windows. This allows the Sun to shine through the walls and floors of solar heat-absorbing walls during winter. Natural radiation and convection heat the building from the Sun’s energy. Shades and window overhangs can be used to block the Sun from reaching the windows in the summer, keeping the building cool.

The Sun

Our solar system’s star is the Sun. Radiation from the Sun is a constant source of energy. This Sun’s energy is produced deep within it. The Sun, like a star, is 71% hydrogen, 27% helium, and 2% of other elements. The Sun’s center has a density 150 times greater than water. It also has a temperature of almost 16,000,000 Kelvin. This causes individual hydrogen atoms to undergo nuclear fission (or join together). This causes two hydrogen nuclei to combine to form one helium nuclear nucleus. The energy is then released as radiation. Every second, there are a vast number of fusions that produce energy. Radiation and convection of the turbulent mixing gases on the Sun’s surface create the energy.

The Sun has been producing energy for millions of years, and it will continue to do so for millions more. According to estimates, there is still enough hydrogen in the Sun’s core for another 4.5 billion years.

The Sun’s radiation (light and warmth) is what we call solar energy. The Sun emits immense amounts of light and heat every day. Some of this energy is absorbed by the planet and atmosphere, while the rest is reflected in space.

The heat energy gives rise to life, which we get from the Sun via radiation. It is also an immense energy source that generates the planet’s weather and creates wind and the planet’s water cycle.

Radiant light and heat from Sun are the sources of solar energy.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

Some materials are sensitive enough to the Sun’s light or radiant energy to react to this energy to make electricity.

The Sun’s light energy can easily be converted into electricity using Photovoltaic cells. Also known as solar cells. A PV cell is a thin, light-sensitive plate made mostly of Silicon, the second most abundant element within the Earth’s crust and the same Semiconductor material used in computers.

The unique electrical properties of Silicon, when mixed with other materials in sunlight, can be seen. The light agitates the electrons and causes them to move through Silicon. This phenomenon is called the photovoltaic effect. It results in direct current electricity (D.C.).

To create a standard P.V. module that can be linked together, many P.V. cells are connected. These modules then are linked together to form a P.V. array. The P.V. modules are almost maintenance-free, have no moving parts, and last for 20-30 years.

The P.V. array generates direct current (D.C.) electricity. The “inverter” converts D.C. to alternating power (A.C.). This power can be used for household appliances and is comparable to normal grid power. An inverter is an electronic box that looks like a computer.

Researchers studying the photovoltaic (P.V.-) cell’s sensitivity to sunlight discovered it in the 1950s. In the late 1950s, solar cells were used to power U.S. satellites. This success led to commercial applications of P.V. technology. Simple PV systems can power watches and calculators, but more complex systems can provide electricity for pumps, communications equipment, and even electricity to our homes.

What Does Solar Power Do?

• 1. The solar panels absorb the Sun’s light.
• 2. The panel’s Silicon and conductors convert light into Direct Current (D.C.), which flows into an inverter.
• 3. The inverter converts D.C. into Alternate Current electricity (A.C.), which can be used in your home.
• 4. Any additional electricity not used by your house goes through your meter to the mains power grid.
• 5. When you require more power than your solar system can produce, electricity is taken from the grid.

Grid-connected solar systems allow you to be still connected to mains power. This supplies electricity for your home and school when solar panels don’t generate enough during the day and night.