Sun is the major and natural source of energy. Sun, produce energy and this energy I produced due to the nuclear fusion reaction which take place in the inner core of the sun. The sun then radiates this huge amount of energy and is known as Solar Energy. Sun radiates energy in enormous form but only a small amount of it is able to reach the other. Still this small amount is more than our energy needs.
Light travel faster and speed is 186,000 miles per second. So sunlight covers the distance of 93 million miles, a little more then eight minutes to reach the earth. Nowadays solar energy is used for various purposes.
Solar Collectors
The solar energy that reaches the earth is spread out over a large area and intensity varies and it depend upon various factors which are, the time of day, the season of the year, the cloudiness of the sky and your closeness to equator.
We can capture sunlight by using solar collector which then changes it into usable energy. Taking a closed car as an example, when a light passes through the windows of a closed car, it is absorbed by the seats, walls, floor and covers of the car. This light changes into heat due to which the car becomes very hot. As the windows allow the entry of light but don’t let it to go out and causes the car to become hot.
Solar Space Heating
By space we the space inside a building or a house. Solar energy is utilized for heating the homes and buildings. A passive solar home is designed in such a way to let in the maximum amount of sunlight; it is just like a big solar collector. The light that enters is trapped and it can not escape. A passive solar home does not depend on any kind of mechanical equipment to heat the house.
While an active solar home uses special equipment to trap sunlight. It may be comprised of special collectors that look like boxes covered with glass. These collectors are mounted on the rooftop facing the south in order to take advantage of winter sun too. Metal plates which are dark in color are present inside the boxes which absorb sunlight and convert it to heat. Black color metal pates are good then any other as it absorbs sunlight better. So when air or water through these collectors flow, are warmed by the heat and is distributed to the house. It’s just as an ordinary furnace system.
Solar Hot Water Heating
There are various applications of solar energy; it can also be used for heating water and utilizing it for bathing, dishwashing and clothes washing. This system is much like solar space heating. A solar collector is placed of in the south of the rooftop, sunlight heats the water in a tank. The hot water is piped to faucets throughout the house just as an ordinary water heater. Currently this is used by more than one million homes and 200,000 businesses in the United States.
Solar Electricity
Electricity can also be produced by using solar energy by using two ways i-e Photovoltaic and solar thermal systems.
Photovoltaic Electricity
Photovoltaic cells are also known as PV Cells or Solar Cells. This technique has been used in solar-powered toys, calculators, roadside telephone call boxes to convert sunlight into electricity and you may be familiar with it. Solar cells are made up o silicon and it is the second most common substance on earth. Anything that is powered through batteries or electrical power, solar cells can supply energy to it. As sunlight strikes the cell, movement of electrons and this action of electrons starts electric current and electricity is produced. This conversion process occurs silently and instantly.
Solar Thermal Electricity
It is also called as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). In this case electricity is produced by solar energy but in a different way. Most solar thermal systems use solar collectors which have mirrored surface to focus sunlight onto a receiver that heats a liquid. The liquid is super heated and further this liquid is used to make steam to produce electricity by the same method as coal plants do.
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