Solar energy is energy that comes to the earth from the sun in the “form of heat and light”5. The sun is a renewable energy that’ll provide us with heat and light for “another 5 billion years”6. Nuclear fission takes places in the sun and is what creates solar energy. Nuclear fission is the “process where the nuclei of one element, usually hydrogen, fuse with each other to form the nuclei of another element, usually helium”6.
Solar energy can come in two different forms, “actively” or “passively”. “Active solar energy uses special technology to capture the sun’s rays”2. This technology comes through Photovoltaic Cells (PV Cells or Solar Cells) and “mirrors that focus sunlight in a specific spot”2. Passive solar energy uses the sunlight in its natural changing state. For instance, “people can build houses so their windows face the path of the sun. This means the house will get more heat from the sun. It will take less energy from other sources to provide heat”2. Passive solar energy also comes in the forms of “green roofs, cool roofs, and radiant barriers”2.
Solar energy complements other alternative energies.6 When paired with others alternative energies, solar energy could be a viable solution to living in a more sustainable world. Solar energy is clean energy, making it a good alternative to fossil fuels. Although it is expensive, it can provide immense amounts of power to homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals with absolutely no fuel required to maintain it.
Solar energy can come in two different forms, “actively” or “passively”. “Active solar energy uses special technology to capture the sun’s rays”2. This technology comes through Photovoltaic Cells (PV Cells or Solar Cells) and “mirrors that focus sunlight in a specific spot”2. Passive solar energy uses the sunlight in its natural changing state. For instance, “people can build houses so their windows face the path of the sun. This means the house will get more heat from the sun. It will take less energy from other sources to provide heat”2. Passive solar energy also comes in the forms of “green roofs, cool roofs, and radiant barriers”2.
Solar energy complements other alternative energies.6 When paired with others alternative energies, solar energy could be a viable solution to living in a more sustainable world. Solar energy is clean energy, making it a good alternative to fossil fuels. Although it is expensive, it can provide immense amounts of power to homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals with absolutely no fuel required to maintain it.
Benefits to Solar Energy:
You can collect it in many ways and use its power for many different things. The sun releases limitless amounts of energy, “in one hour alone, the Earth’s atmosphere receives enough sunlight to power the electricity needs of every human being on Earth for a year”6. Solar energy is 100% clean energy. Once the equipment needed to gather the energy is set up, no fuel is required to power it. It releases no greenhouse gas emissions or any other toxic substances. |
Challenges to Solar Energy:
First off, the equipment (solar panels) use to harness the solar energy is expensive. “Purchasing and installing the equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars for individual homes”6. Along with the equipment be expensive, it is very heavy. Buildings and homes that want to implement solar panels on their roofs must have their roofs reinforced to withstand a heavier load. Like all alternative energies, solar energy is dependent on the climate of an area. An area with variable weather patterns (average amount of cloud cover and sunlight) must “be studied in order to determine the effectiveness of a solar energy program”6. |
Hydroelectricity is next, click below to see what it is all about!