subject: Solar Power Electricity Has Been Here For Quite A While Now [print this page] When it comes to future of solar energy, it seems even today that the overall opinion of the masses is that solar power is something that we all could be using later on, as technology on it improves... but the true reality is that it already has vastly improved within the last couple of decades.
Entire homes are being run using this technology, and their systems were vastly more cheaply acquired than they might have been decades ago. With the advancements made in the production of photovoltaic cells ("solar panels"), the materials used, and much larger energy outputs for each, this kind of renewable energy is now financially feasible for anyone of all parts of society. How is this?
The future of solar energy is now - at under a third of an average weekly blue collar paycheck, many have engaged in the weekend project of building their own single solar panel from simple, easily acquired components. This is why accessible this technology is for us today. From a single 3x5 foot panel, these do-it-yourself can run a lap top computer, a small dorm-sized beer fridge and all the power tools in their garage - for free, and forever. What number of these would you have to power everything at your residence for free forever? Perhaps four or maybe five would work? How many weekends from now can you bid farewell to paying an electric bill throughout your natural born days?
But the future of solar energy isn't in just electricity production, but also in things like heating, or even cooking. Solar powered furnaces which supply homes in even the much colder regions around the globe with warm flowing heat are a reality and have been for quite a while now. Solar ovens are quite popular as they may be simply built from even recyclable discarded materials, and make for a wonderful weekend project. Solar energy could be used to supply a home with hot water.
The solar energy health risks associated with photovoltaic (PV) panels occurs before the panels are put into use on the consumer's home. PV panels are the panels used to collect solar energy from sunlight and convert it into usable electricity.
The manufacture of PV panels requires using toxic materials. Silicon dioxide is mined from sand or quartzite and reduced with heat to pure silicon. Materials released during refining are the main health risks. Several steps in forming the photovoltaic cells utilize toxic materials. These are sprayed on the cells, and can readily be inhaled. It's estimated that solar energy health risks associated with producing PV panels per unit energy may be between 11 and 21 deaths per quadrillion joules of energy produced.
For example, clear plastic or acrylic cylinders filled with water situated where the sun can pass its light through may be fitted with a reflecting material on the one hand, facing inward to act as a parabolic curved reflector/collector for sunshine to be focused towards the middle of the cylinder. Down the midst of the cylinder, there may be placed an aluminum pipe, anodized in black color to absorb sun light and heat at the focal point of the parabolic reflector. Aluminum heats up very fast and efficiently, and at the reflector's focal point, there is considerably. The aluminum passes the heat to the surrounding water, and there you've got a solar hot water heater. Simple, right? Truly, the future of solar energy is now.
