SOLAR ENERGY FOR BEGINNERS
Solar energy is here to stay and will dominate the world in electricity provision along with other renewable energy in no time. But for those of us with little idea of what that means but are too afraid to ask, what the heck is it?
Simply put, solar energy is energy generated by that big ball of gas, the sun. That’s the easy part to understand.
How the energy creation is initiated is pretty cool. It is created by nuclear fusion which happens when protons of hydrogen atoms smash into each other, like fans in a pit at a punk concert. The “pit” in this case is in the core of the sun. The smashing produces a helium atom.
That process emits, as waves, a massive amount of energy. This energy is constantly flowing outwards from the sun and towards earth, and throughout the solar system. This energy keeps us earthlings warm, is one of the causes of weather, helps sustain the life of flora and fauna and more.
Most of the electromagnetic waves that work their way to us, we can’t see. The high-frequency waves that the sun emits are X-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet radiation (UV). Most of what is harmful to us gets stopped at the Earth’s atmosphere (or border if you like,) and soaked up.
The lower-frequency waves get to us as infrared energy. That is the heat that we feel on a summer’s day.
Harnessing Solar Energy
I couldn’t find a picture of the sun being harnessed so imagine this guy’s head is the sun.
One of the best things about solar energy is that it can be harnessed and utilised for human needs. It is a renewable source that can be captured through various methods. I’ll mention a couple.
Photovoltaics
One of the most popular technologies for capturing solar is through photovoltaics. This active solar technology was discovered by 19-year-old French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel way back in 1839!
The young genius found out that he was able to generate electricity through a process that went like this:
-Place silver-chloride in an acidic solution
-Expose that acid-drenched silver-chloride to sunlight
Easy! But you and I ain’t gonna do it so thankfully, today, we have photovoltaics in the form of solar panels which are made up of anything from a few dozen to hundreds of solar cells.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
Concentrated solar power (also called concentrated solar energy,) is a technology that uses lenses and mirrors to concentrate sunlight into a smaller area. In the process a fluid is heated which subsequently generates electricity.
Another example of CSP are solar furnaces. Solar furnaces come in different forms including solar power towers and parabolic troughs. Their method for converting energy is the same, they just capture the solar differently with different equipment.
A solar power tower in Shouhang, China
An example of how CSP is used on a small scale is in how it is used by people who live in places where electricity is scant. That could be remote villages who use solar cookers for cooking food and sanitising water or intrepid campers that have escaped into nature but still want that medium rare sirloin.
Now that you know the basics, what’s the next step?
Check out some of these blogs to help you decide whether investing in solar energy is right for you:
About the financial benefits:
YOUR MONEY, YOUR ENERGY, YOUR WAY | enewabl
About peace of mind during and after natural disasters:
NATURAL DISASTERS VS THE ENERGY GRID | enewabl
About caring for the planet’s future:
7 REASONS SOLAR IS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT | enewabl
Then have a no-strings-attached chat with one of our professional advisors, who can give you all the info you need and answer all of the questions that you have.
You can fill out a contact form here – enewabl | Battery Storage Systems
Email to this address – enquiries@enewabl.com.au
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