What is Solar Energy?
Inside the sun the most fascinating process is taking place. This high resolution picture of a Sunspot Up Close shows the sun's surface as a "bubbling sea of separate cells of hot gas" known as "granules", each of which is about 1000km across and lasts about 10 minutes before exploding. Matter is converted directly into energy by the process of nuclear fusion, where small amounts of matter yield enormous mounts of energy. The sun generates a massive 3.94 x 1023kW of power all day, every day.
This energy takes about 8 minutes to cover its 93 million miles to reach us on earth. The total energy reaching the surface of the earth is approximately 80,000 x 1012w, or 10,000 times the world's energy requirements. Four fifths of the sun's energy falls on the sea.The remaining fifth falling on the land is still about 2,000 times more than the total global energy demand.
Some of this can be captured by using solar energy panels, for producing electric energy or for hot water production (solar hotwater panel).
External Links:
- A Solar-Charged Battery Backup Power Supply
- Home Power Magazine has a free downloadable article for beginners about home solar electric systems.
- Vote Solar.org succeeds in passing a bill in California "to provide ten years of incentives to help Californians install one million solar energy systems on homes and businesses throughout the state by 2018."
- Spheral Solar Power is breakthrough technology developed by a Canadian company that makes less expensive, more durable, lightweight and flexible solar panels for a variety of applications.
Threads: Green Energy