Harnessing Solar Energy >> Learn To Harness Solar Energy To Save The Environment

Sept. 24, 2009 - PRLog -- Today I want to share with you about the importance of harnessing solar energy in our daily activities and how you take a part of this important task also and save the environment from ourselves.

The simple definition of solar energy is that energy which is generated from the sun. The sun that shines down on our planet is an abundant source of energy that gives us both light and heat. The sun is an awesome heavenly body and as such has been a source of awe and has been held in high reverence in both ancient cultures and modern day cultures. The sun was even worshiped as a God by the ancient Egyptians.

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This respect for the sun was and still is, well deserved. Until more sophisticated technologies are developed, our sun can give many future generations an unlimited and abundant source of energy. The use of solar energy has many merits over the fossil fuels we are now using as an energy source.

Solar Power is Free

Every morning at dawn, without fail, the sun rises and releases solar energy that has been filtered through our atmosphere, and provides us with free light and heat that enables our planet to be livable.

This phenomenon has been occurring for millions and millions of years, but it has only been recently that we have some to realize the full potential of this free, abundant source of nearly infinite power.

Historians have records of early Egyptians and Greek cultures using the sun’s power by concentrating the rays of the sun generate heat. In the past the Greeks and the Egyptians have been known to harness the power of the sun to heat whatever they wished to by concentrating its radiation.

Solar Power is Non-polluting

The sun is a clean source of energy and is free of pollutants of any kind. This is unlike fossil fuels or organic fuels which leave harmful gasses and residues when they are used to create energy.

Solar Power is Extremely Reliable

Estimates are that the sun has been burning for nearly five billion years and chances are that it will still be burning for the next five billion years. Every morning it shows up and every evening it vanishes to light up another portion of the globe. This waxing and waning of the sun will certainly outlast many generations to come.

Solar Power is Limitless

The wonderful thing about solar energy is that there is no restriction on the amount of energy we can use from this source. The amount of energy given off by the sun in a few minutes is enough to power the entire United States for an entire year. Developing technologies that would economically harness the sun's power could solve the entire planet’s energy problems.

Why Use Solar Power

With all this abundant free source of energy all around us, why hasn't it been used, and why is so much of it just wasted? One of the primary reasons for this is that the sunlight we actually receive is quite thinly spread across the earth. In order for solar energy to be used, it needs to be gathered, manipulated and ultimately stored in order for enough of it to be effectively harnessed.

Technology has not advanced enough to make this possible on a large scale. To date, only three methods of collecting solar energy have been developed and they have only been partially successful.

The Reflection Method â€" Mirrors / Parabola

The use of single or multiple mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays into one point has been used for many years. Parabolic mirrors similar to dish antennas are used for this purpose.

The Radiation Method

Solar water heaters use the principle of radiation. Pipes that are painted black and then sandwiched between several layers of glass, contain water that gets heated from the sun's rays.

Solar panels

The latest technology that has been developed is solar cells. These cells contain specialized silicon crystals that generate electricity when it by the sun. The electricity that is generated can be stored in batteries for future use.

What's stopping us?

Unfortunately the technology that would utilize the benefits of solar power has not been perfected as yet. Solar power remains unreliably and costly and not practical for mass production.

Despite the apparent benefits of using solar power it is most unfortunate that there are very few solar power plants around the world. Sadly, with today's level of technology, cost and reliability are two major factors that are still hurdles in the way of mass usage of solar energy. A string of cloudy days would wreak havoc on the people who are reliant on solar power for their energy needs.

Conclusion

Solar power technology is constantly advancing and the solar cells are being reduced in size and are able to generate more and more and power. They are still expensive, but the price will be coming down to the point that they are readily available for common use. The future for solar energy is bright, and creative inventors will no doubt have some innovative products for us in the near future.

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Sincerely,
Sammy