Future of Solar Energy

Solar energy is defined as being the sun's rays (solar radiation) that reach the Earth. Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into other forms of energy such as heat and electricity. Typically solar energy and solar power are used interchangeably.

There are two basic types of solar energy. One is to use the sun’s energy to heat things such as our houses, swimming pools, the water for houses and the food in a solar cooker. Solar energy that is converted to heat can also be used in greenhouses which would expand the growing seasons to a year round production of growth. The future of solar energy for this purpose would allow specialty crops not normally suited for a local climate to be produced year round regardless of the climate. This type of solar energy is called thermal energy.

The second basic way to use solar energy is to turn the light from the sun into electricity. This is accomplished using solar panels. Once sunlight hits the solar panels, which are made from silicon, electrons in the silicon move around and create electricity. This is of course a very simplified version of turning solar energy into electricity which is known as photovoltaics. The point to remember is that the future of solar energy is that it is becoming a popular method of providing a portion of the electricity required to power a house or building.

One advantage for the future of solar energy is that it is free and the supply is unlimited. Using solar energy will not create air or water pollution. Another advantage to using solar energy it makes you more aware of the amount of energy you use every day. For example, if you are not in a room, shut off the light or if you’re not watching TV, turn it off. Try hanging your clothes out on a clothes line instead of using the dryer. Or ride your bike instead of driving your car on short trips to save energy.

One disadvantage for the future of solar energy is that sunlight is not constant. The amount of sunlight received will depend on the time of day, time of year and weather conditions. Another disadvantage is that a large surface area is necessary to collect enough energy to be useful.

Solar energy is still an expensive technology to implement for a single family home. However, the future of solar energyis going to depend on all of us looking at the impacts on the environment of using this type of energy as opposed to the impact that using energy produced by coal plants is having on our environment.