What is solar energy?
To put it simply, solar energy is the heat and light that the sun provides. Half of the energy that the sun projects is reflected back into space when it reaches the earth. The other half is absorbed by water and land. Energy absorbed by the water drives heat and wind-driven currents such as the Gulf Stream while the energy absorbed by the land generates heat. Any energy absorbed by plants is converted into chemical energy through photsynthesis.
What is solar power?
Solar power is what you have once the sun's energy has actually been converted into electricity.
How does solar energy work?
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The sun produces energy generated through hydrogen consumption during nuclear fusion reactions. Portions of this energy, called photons, are transmitted to the earth in just over 8 minutes. Using the speeding energy of these photons, solar power cells convert the sunlight into electricty in order to generate an electrical current within a solar panel.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels are the most popular method for harnessing the sun's energy and turning it into electricity. These PV cells cause protons from sunlight to knock electrons into a higher energy state, which creates electricity.
Every two years, PV production has been doubling and is increasing yearly by an average of 48% since 2002. It is not the world's fastest-growing energy technology.
Photovoltaic (PV) cells and panels are the most popular method for harnessing the sun's energy and turning it into electricity. These PV cells cause protons from sunlight to knock electrons into a higher energy state, which creates electricity.
Every two years, PV production has been doubling and is increasing yearly by an average of 48% since 2002. It is not the world's fastest-growing energy technology.
What are the benefits of solar energy?
The biggest advantage of solar energy is its complete availability. According to the US Department of Energy, the yearly total solar energy the earth has available is around 3850 zettajoules (ZJ) while worldwide energy consumption in recent years has been around only .5 ZJ! Solar energy is also extremely versatile. It is usable in many circumstances such as growing food, heating homes, purifying water, creating light, and much more.