Sustainable Energy Gets A Face Lift All Thanks To Solar Renewal Energy!
August 17, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, Solar Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy Gets A Face Lift All Thanks To Solar Renewal Energy!
Since we are at the brink of losing all the natural non-renewable resources, the world is suddenly abuzz with a keyword – solar renewal energy. The benefits of trapping the sun’s energy and converting into various forms of energy are humongous. Hence, researches are continuously working for the advancement in solar technology.
Let us try to understand through examples, how countries and communities are gearing up to make better use of solar energy.
Andasol plant 1 and Solnova plant in Spain have parabolic trough systems, which concentrate Sun’s rays on pipes containing synthetic oil, which can be heated up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. This heated oil is used to directly drive steam turbines or heat salts to a molten state. These salts can store the heat for many hours which implies that even after the Sun goes down, the solar renewal energy can be still used for various purposes. This technology is the latest in the solar renewal energy harnessing field and is called molten salt technology. These plants provide 50 megawatts of power. Similarly Solúcar solar farm in Spain employs mirrors called heliostats to harness solar renewal energy. It focuses the solar radiation to drive steam turbines and generate electricity.
Hence, Spain produces 3.65 gigawatts of power from solar renewal energy, second to Germany. United States is now replicating their parabolic technology in California, Nevada, Phoenix, Colorado, Texas and Florida.
The deserts have been pivotal in generation of electricity because more and more solar plants are being set up in arid and semi arid regions. Researchers at German Aerospace Center have found out that a few thousand square kilometers of solar thermal power plants teamed with the latest infrastructure of high voltage direct transmission lines can provide electricity to the whole of Europe.
However, concerns are being raised about the water requirement by these plants, uncertain costs, long construction time, corrosive and abrasive nature of the salt used etc.
Another breakthrough in utilization of solar renewal energy has been the invention of spray on solar cells, which harness the sun’s infrared rays even on a cloudy day. Researchers at MIT have used solar renewal energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. When these gases are recombined in a fuel cell, it gives carbon-free electricity.
With these advancements our dependence on non renewable resources will become minimal thus promoting sustainable development. Our Planet will become cleaner, greener and better by efficient usage of its resources and meeting our consumption needs by solar renewal energy and its various alternative resources counterparts.
Solar Renewal Energy – Taking The Burdon Off New Renewable Resources
August 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Renewable Energy, Solar Renewal Energy - Taking The Burdon Off New Renewable Resources
The advent of solar renewal energy has lifted a great burden off the non-renewable resources like coal, fossil fuel, natural gases etc. Many scientific breakthroughs have come up in recent times and photovoltaic or solar cells, solar collectors have been a notable invention in that arena.
Single crystal silicon solar cells convert solar radiation to electric power. Solar cells are made up of semiconductor material so that when sunlight strikes it, a part of its wavelength is absorbed by the semiconductor material. This absorbed energy gives rise to free electrons and the applied built in electric field makes these electrons flow in a particular direction. Current is nothing but the flow of electrons. So this current along with the built in electric field forms the power produced by the solar cell.
Solar cells are used in powering space vehicles like satellites, telescopes and rovers etc. The international space station has incorporated an array of 250,000 solar cells for power generation. They are used in solar vehicles. They are arranged to form panels and are widely used in solar power plants too.
Researchers at University of Notre Dame have come up with nano solar cell which is cheaper and more efficient. Sharp, a company dedicated to solar renewal energy has come up with a triple junction solar cell with world’s highest conversion efficiency. The unfathomable solar renewal energy utilization is escalating new heights every day.
Solar renewal energy is harnessed by solar collectors which produce heat energy from solar radiation. It is broadly categorized into three parts:
1. Parabolic trough system where the receiver is heated up to 400° C to produce steam for generating electricity.
2. Power tower system where reflected rays of the sun heat the receiver above 1000° C.
3. Parabolic dish systems are the most efficient heating receiver up to 1000° C.
Application of solar collectors include solar water heating systems which can be used for swimming pool heating, underfloor heating, space heating and cooling.
Formation of fossil fuels occurs due to trapped solar energy so the European Science Foundation (ESF) have taken it upon themselves on generating clean fuels from solar renewal energy directly by using photovoltaic technology.
The future prospects of harnessing solar renewal energy are bright and we are just getting started but we are still a long way from using the solar renewal energy to the hilt. Nonetheless, the sun is definitely the next big thing all over again!
Solar Renewal Energy – A Brand New Beginning!
August 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, Solar Renewable Energy, Solar Renewal Energy - A Brand New Beginning!
Energy is the biggest necessity of humankind and our consumption rate is exponentially increasing with each passing day. We need it for transportation, cooking, electricity, manufacturing etc. We humans are so dependent on non-renewable sources of energy that when they vanish from the face of the earth, we will have nothing left to fall back on. This is where alternative renewable energy sources come into the scene and ruling the charts is solar renewal energy.
It is a sad scenario that the best sources of energy: solar energy, hydro energy , geothermal energy, wind energy and biomass energy are not utilized to their full potential and more than 85% of the world’s energy still comes from non renewable sources. Sun is the best natural source of energy and all the crucial processes like photosynthesis, transpiration, water cycle occur due to solar energy. So harnessing this energy can help us save the non-renewable resources from extinction.
What is solar renewal energy? We get this energy by harnessing sun’s radiations via different solar technologies like photovoltaic cells, solar panels, day lighting systems, solar thermal collectors, greenhouses etc. Solar air conditioning, solar chimney, solar heating, solar powered desalination unit, solar furnace, solar cooker, solar pond, solar power generation, solar powered vehicle all require solar renewal energy.
Even the GPS enabled facilities like automotive navigation system, vehicle-tracking system we use, are all thanks to solar renewal energy because the geostationary satellites use solar powered batteries.
Solar renewal energy is green, clean, and free, which is why more and more countries want to incorporate this. Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, USA, Canada, and Korea have set up solar power plants for power generation. Many developing countries are also following the lead and setting up solar power plants. People are setting up thermal collectors in their house to use this solar renewal energy. There are companies providing solar heating systems in houses for rent. There are solar streetlights, solar lanterns, and solar inverters being used by people.
The good news is that since more and more people are becoming aware of the various advantages of solar renewal energy, history of the 1970s energy crisis will not repeat itself. Quite many programs and products have been developed for encouraging solar energy utilization.
The simple fact is that we will only head towards a better future by saving natural non-renewable resources for the next generations to come. With solar renewal energy, a sustainable solar powered world is no longer a distant dream.
Solar Energy Information, A Look At The Pros And the Cons
August 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, Solar Energy Information You Need to Know
Solar energy is becoming more and more popular these days. The worldwide demand for solar energy is currently greater than the supply, this is because solar energy can be collected and stored in batteries for longer period. Solar energy can also be reflected, absorbed and transmitted for its proper utilization.
Many under developed countries still cannot provide electricity to the bulk population. These countries are using solar energy as their source of energy as it is cheaper and abundant than other sources. The solar energy information provides a source of information to everyone who wants to know about solar energy.
Dynamic Applications Of Solar Energy Information
Countless solar energy information and uses of solar energy are there, both applied in our daily life and in different industries. The solar radiation that comes from the atmosphere can be used for the generation of electricity, either directly or indirectly.
Electricity obtained directly by using the photovoltaic cells where the energy of the sun can be concentrated towards the boiling of water that can be used to generate power. Photovoltaic cells started with the powering of medium and small sized appliances. For example, solar energy information, which was first used in a calculator as one small solar cell is now being used as a solar array to provide power to homes.
The cost of putting up a solar plant was quite high, however, there has been a decrease in these recent times as it has been concluded from solar energy information. Many developing and developed countries have begun to invest in the building of solar plants and are gradually replacing the conventional resources of generating energy with their solar powered counterparts.
Certain Critiscims Based On Solar Energy Information
The intensity of incident solar energy is subject to sunshine meaning that if there are clouds in the sky then very little or no solar power gets generated. Solar electricity is also seen to be very expensive with preassembled setup costs bordering at $20,000-$30,000 for preassembled units.
While the photovoltaic come with a warranty of about twenty years, it could have a high depreciation value in case the owner of the house decides to move and the real estate agents or buyers do not consider the actual investment.
Direct current or DC that is produced by the solar cells needs to be converted into alternate current or AC, before it can be ready to use. The conversion usually accounts in the loss of energy by 5-13 percent.
Final Verdict
While disadvantages do exist, most of it can be attributed to limited development in the field of solar energy information as compared to those made for conventional sources over the last century or so. The fact still remains that solar energy is the best renewable source of energy found till date because it is renewable, cheap and its produces low or no pollution at all.
Solar Energy Information – The Ultimate Source Of Energy?
August 5, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, Solar Energy Information – The Ultimate Source Of Energy?
Bioenergy, the energy derived from living animals and their derivatives actually get this energy solely from the sun. As solar energy information suggests that the form of heat energy, which is being converted into various other forms of energy such as light, mechanical or kinetic energy, depend upon the metabolic rates and ultimately the consumers.
According to one solar energy information, the total sun light reaching earth’s atmosphere is 3,850,000 Exajoules (EJ) per year from which plants use 3000 EJ per year for photosynthesis. The rest is free to use and fortunately will be available to us every day for billions of years to come.
Ecological Balance
Based on solar energy information gathered from ecological studies, the energy, which is consumed by plants, are further transferred to other animals present in different tropic levels (i.e. from small herbivores to big carnivores).
This transfer of energy from one tropic level to another tropic level is scientifically termed as “10% law”, which follows a simple solar energy information. It states that the energy consumed by higher levels of animal species get less energy as compared to its previous level, which can be shown in a decreasing energy level as:
Green plants > herbivores > primary carnivores > carnivores / omnivores (human) .
Difference Between Active And Passive Forms
According to available solar energy information, the active form aims to store the energy. Applications mainly use water as a source, which can be later transferred to a main tank, by using low voltage electric pump driven by solar power. This can meet the requirement for other useful purposes such as irrigation, and pollution free hydroelectric power supply.
Passive form, on the other hand, looks to conserve the energy for the use of green house effect, which is used broadly to warm up the earth surface. This energy can further used for agriculture purpose. This is mainly used in the cold countries where the source of sunlight is very less.
Some interesting facts that we commonly unaware about solar energy information are:
1) Earth receives solar energy in eight minutes.
2) If sunlight is received by earth for more time, say 1 or half hour more than usual then it will be equal to the whole sunlight use by our population in a year.
3) Sun is actually the brightest and hottest star but not the biggest.
4) Sunrays are the most natural source of vitamin D.
Pathological Descriptions Based On Solar Energy Information
However, this solar energy in excess can even cause cancer, as harmful radiations such as cosmic rays if and when they reach the earth can hugely disturb human and animal life. Although sunlight is a rich source for vitamin D, excessive sunrays can cause skin burns.
Sometimes during summer, individuals get affected from sunstroke due to excess heat from sunrays. However, this energy is greatly beneficial for all non-living system and balanced use of solar energy information has the potential to provide beneficial results for living organisms.
Solar Energy Information You Need to Know
August 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, Solar Energy Information You Need to Know
Have you ever heard of decreasing the cost of electric city with the use of solar energy information? It may seem surprising to you but yes, it is true. USA has already seen the difference by using solar radiations converted into electric energy with the use of photovoltaic panels.
These panels are nothing more than a transformation device for converting solar energy information into electrical energy. Its function is very simple. Some solar cells absorb the sunlight. These are used on batteries that can be directly charged by either using solar radiations thereby converting the energy into electrical energy with the help of motor into direct or alternating current.
Two Shining Examples
There are so much trends coming up in using solar energy and the latest design is the Meragon house. In here, everything from the lighting, ventilation and heating is achieved form designs working on solar energy information. The windows, ventilation and walls are so designed such that they can conveniently absorb the optimum amount of solar radiations.
The most recent use of solar energy information has been used in “Solar taxi”. In recent projects developed in Switzerland, this vehicle can easily run up to 200 km/h without trailer and has a speed of 90 km/hr. This project sets a very good example of using solar energy instead of fuel energy to prevent air pollution.
Simple Methods To Create A Solar Device Using Solar Energy Information.
According to solar energy information, any device that is painted black in the inside of the box will absorb more sunlight as compared to any other color provided the entry or the top region is kept transparent by using glass or fiberglass, This method can easily absorb the sun rays and instruments used for capture are called solar panels. Sometime very large panels use this technique to heat a whole room.
Other Applications
Solar energy information is now being applied to diverse fields. From solar water heaters, chimneys, cars and flight models to solar cookers and water treatment plants, all use the energy of the sun to drive themselves in some way or the other.
In cold countries where it become difficult for irrigation and agriculture during winter season this solar energy is stored in a closed room with the help of solar panels. This use of solar energy information is termed as a Green House.
Some Statistics Based On Solar Energy Information
If solar devices become common to the global population, then 50% of energy from conventional energy will be saved while pollution will be reduce by 75%. It is even more practical to use these devices with the help of rechargeable batteries. Among these, solar cookers using solar energy directly for cooking is gradually becoming a hot trend in saving of electricity and gas.
Germany is among the top most countries which is using most of the solar capacity at its best followed by USA, China and some of the other countries.
A Layman’s Guide To Solar Energy Information
August 3, 2010 by admin
Filed under A Layman’s Guide To Solar Energy Information, Solar Energy Information
As the days are passing, the resources, which give different kinds of energy and sustain the life of human beings (such as petroleum), are being depleted and this is due to our excess of these resources. Nowadays, we are relying on different kinds of inexhaustible sources of energy.
One of such energy is solar energy. Solar energy information is very valuable these days as it not only helps countries to produce solar energy but it also helps us to generate electricity for our daily purpose.
Solar Energy Information With Respect To Nature
The Earth receives a huge amount of radiation from the sun; about 30% of it is reflected back to the atmosphere. The rest of the radiation coming from the sun gets absorbed by the earth, which causes heating and water evaporation.
This in turn causes the rainfall thus completing the water cycle. The plants converting it into chemical energy during photosynthesis also absorb the solar energy coming to the earth. Apart from plants and surroundings, we humans can use solar energy information for generating power as other resources are ending up real fast.
Solar Energy Information On The Different Types Of Usage
Solar energy information includes how conversion of solar energy to electricity generation takes place and the ways they are being used for generation in both domestic as well as industrial set ups.
The solar energy information consists of both passive and active methods of using the solar radiation to produce heat. The passive method includes the designing of houses in such a way to trap the heat by using glasses just as a green house does. This is mostly done in the regions where the temperature is too cold and sun comes out rarely.
The active method uses specially designed heat collectors where water is used to store the heat of the sun and an electric pump used to supply hot water to the houses in cold regions.
Benefits Of Solar Energy Information
The most important use of solar energy information is to use it for making photovoltaic cells for generation of electricity. This aspect is most interesting as with advent of new technologies development for the generation of electricity at low lightning intensities are being designed.
These cells are used to produce huge amount of energy which can be can be used into industrial, commercial and domestic purposes. As a direct result, solar energy information can be used to create solar panels for powering the satellites.
Solar energy is not only a inexhaustible source of energy but it is also very cheap as only one time money is required for setting up a solar power system.
What Is Solar Energy Information All About?
August 3, 2010 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy Information, What Is Solar Energy Information All About?
The beginning of the industrial revolution was started with the use of coal and it then went on from wood and biomass to fossil fuel. As the days passed, the overuse of these resources showed that they are going to end soon.
Therefore, renewable sources of energy are the solutions and many came out in the light. Solar energy was one of them. Solar energy information provides us with the knowledge of solar energy and their uses in domestic and industrial life.
Role Of Solar Energy Information In Homes As Well As Industries
The main objective of solar energy information is to gain knowledge about solar energy to generate electricity for industrial as well as for domestic purposes. In many houses, PVC (Photo Voltaic Cells) are used to generate electricity. Electricity is stored during the daytime and is used at the night as no solar energy is absorbed after sun sets.
For large-scale industries, solar thermoelectric plants are used to provide electricity. When the sunrays fall on the solar panels, electricity is produced in the form of DC or direct current. The DC electricity can be easily stored in lead batteries for later use. Even when there is no power generation, these batteries can be used as a backup.
Applications Using Solar Energy Information
Solar energy information can power up a car or vehicle. It can be used for cooking food as in the case of a solar cooker. In many countries, sunlight and heat is used for disinfecting drinking water. Solar energy also finds its uses in chemical reactions as many chemical compounds involve sunlight for the chemical reactions to occur.
In many European countries, solar energy is used to keep the building cool during the summer. The heat is absorbed during the day and is radiated during the night keeping the buildings cool.
This method can also be used to keep the buildings warm during the winter. A solar chimney is also a solar ventilation system where a vertical chimney is connected with the interior and exterior of a building. As the chimney gets warmer the air inside gets heated up and exits through the chimney.
Solar Energy Information In A Nutshell
Solar energy information thus gives us a lot of knowledge about solar energy and its uses. The sun is such a powerhouse that has been burning for so many years giving us energy in various forms. The energy, which is renewable, cheap, and it causes far less pollution than others do.