Solar Energy:
The term solar energy refers to the energy that the sun creates, via light or photons. The photons emitted by the sun are used to power your home or business by your photovoltaic solar system. We often think of using the sun to harness energy as a relatively new technology, when in fact many aspects of life are powered via the sun. Plants harness the suns energy to grow. Additionally, when plants convert sunlight into stored energy and die, they get buried deep beneath the ground and transform into fossil fuels such as oil.
Solar energy has been utilized by lifeforms for millions of years, we have recently revolutionized solar energy to power our homes and businesses via the suns energy. Solar energy technology allows us to harvest energy directly from the source, versus harvesting ecologically harmful fossil fuels. One of the best advantages of solar energy technology is the absence of a middle man, and who doesn't love to pay less?
There are a couple main ways to use solar energy technology to harvest the sun’s energy. The most widely spread form is photovoltaic solar, which allows your to completely power your home, with clean energy. The second most popular form of solar energy comes int he form of heating, in which it heats the water running through your home or business. Both will be explained in more detail.
Solar Photovoltaics:
Solar photovoltaics (PV) are the most widely used solar energy technology used by homeowners and businesses around the world. In fact, it is 92% of all installed solar power technology installed around the United States.
Solar panels are widely used in part because they are extremely cost effective. Owners enjoy the saving thousands of dollars just a few years in. In fact, solar panels can completely pay for themselves in 5 to 7 years. Solar PV panels are extremely durable, and last decades. In fact, they can be placed anywhere from a roof, to an open meadow.
Solar Heating:
Instead of using the suns rays to power a building, solar heating uses the sun to provide direct heating to buildings. This is done by running water past a solar energy collector , where the suns energy heats the buildings water. Solar heating is used by many households and businesses to help lower their utility bills; in fact, water heating can account for up to 14% of a homes energy use.
Concentration Solar Power:
Solar concentration power is a completely different system than either solar PV or solar heating; this technology uses reflectors to concentrate sunlight. The purpose of solar concentrators is to shine the sunlight onto a small, high efficiency solar collector. Inside the solar collector there is fluid that gets heated, which produces steam to power an electric generator.
Concentration solar power is done on a huge scale roughly 1,000 times the power of a typical home rooftop. Additionally, this technology can cost hundreds of millions to build, which is a main reason it is not used for homes or small businesses.
