Solar energy systems for electricity can be made up of two different types of energy. These are thermal energy and electric energy. We would like to explain the difference between these two power forms.
Firstly though a bit of basic information. Solar power, simply put, is the power from the sun. The sun has always emitted radiation and always will as long as we exist on earth. When it stops we will no longer be able to survive. All we have to do is to intercept some of the rays of energy coming from the sun and convert them into electricity which we can then use.
Because of this, solar energy, unlike our existing sources such as fossil fuels, is a permanent, reliable source of power which we ought to be doing our best to harness. There is plenty coming to us, an amount of 770 trillion kilowatts which is about 5,000 times the total amount of all existing energy.
It is currently being used for a multitude of purposes. On earth it is used to provide heat and light for homes, in fact residential solar panels can provide for all our home electrical needs. Something like a caravan solar panel is often used whilst camping or can be used on a boat. It has also started to be used in manufacturing and other industry.
It is used in space to power satellites and in the shuttle which transports astronauts to the space station. It is not yet widely used to power card but I am sure that it will not be long before that technology advances as well.
Now back to the two different types of energy.
Thermal energy is the same as kinetic energy and gives us our sun tans and generally keeps us warm when the sun is shining. It does not all come from the sun though, some of it comes from the core of our planet.
Electric energy is what we commonly call electricity and it is not a naturally occurring power source like thermal energy is so it has to be converted to create home solar systems and the like.
There are some initial costs involved in the setting up of a solar panel system for the home but, once it has been done, the ongoing costs are very minimal, there is only a small amount of maintenance needed. These start up costs can be reduced dramatically if you decide to do it yourself with the help of a good manual.
The only real downside is that it is not as effective when the weather is cloudy or at night for obvious reasons. This is easily overcome though by creating an array of batteries which can store up surplus electricity to power the solar energy system during those times.
Undeniably, sun has many uses to human. And a better source of energy compared to fossil fuel. The radiant of sun is free and it is environment friendly.
Noel Addison recently posted..Solforce to help Patagonia go solar in Ventura County
Thanks for highlighting the different ways we can harness energy from the sun. I bet people never even thought this was possible years ago, and now here we are benefiting from it – and in so many ways!
As you mentioned in article initial costs are quite big at the begining, but in future you can only save money. It’s realy good investment.
Nice post. Keep it up with info We need to learn about solar energ and other sources.
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