Solar Energy: What Is It, and Why Is It important?

Solar Energy: What Is It, and Why Is It important

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What is solar energy?Solar energy is energy derived from sunlight. It is then converted into thermal or electrical energy. The sun radiates more energy in a single second than the total amount of energy consumed by humans since the beginning of time. Yet somehow, humans still haven't made the most of it.Why is it important?In our current environmental crisis, there is a great need for people to look for alternative sources of energy, and the sun is a great source. It shines everyday (in most places), and therefore is a constant source of energy. Constant however, differs from being available all of the time. Because the sun shines seldomly in the winter, and never during the night, effective storage methods must be utilized to properly benefit from solar energy.As the cost of oil goes up, so too does the use of alternative energy, and as it drops, unfortunately so too does the use of alternative energy. With all of the political heat surrounding oil as well as the increasingly spread of health epidemics such as cancer in the Western world, people are starting to take issues surrounding the environment and climate crisis more seriously. Increasingly solar panels are being used to heat homes. Not only is it better for the planet, but they are also more economical.Because solar energy is dependent on sunlight, it is a more popular form of renewable energy in places like California. In the UK, the most popular source of renewable energy is wind.How do solar panels work?Solar irradiance from the Sun hits the solar panels, creating an electrical current which goes into a charge controller. The electrical charges form a battery system, which can either be converted into DC power, or inverted into AC power.What are the pros and cons of solar energy?The first major pro of solar energy is that it is available in abundance and it is natural. If captured and used properly people can heat and power their homes entirely by sunlight. This not only drastically cuts costs, but makes use of a renewable energy source as opposed to a harmful one. As mentioned above, the environmental and political threats surrounding oil and wastefulness are too great to continue ignoring.A setback (more then a con) of solar energy, is that it is not effective everywhere in the world. Places which receive minimal sunlight throughout the year would benefit more from other forms of renewable energy. Moreover, advanced storage systems need to be built to capture the energy. Otherwise it will all be absorbed by plants, land, and oceans, turned into rainfall, or get reflected back to space.Solar, wind, tide, geothermal, and other forms of renewable energy offer a great opportunity for humans to run their lives naturally and economically while causing minimal damage to the planet. While these sources are becoming more popular everyday there is still a lot to be done.

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