Building & Home Articles Garden & Landscaping Articles Solar Power - The Basics
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Solar power is a free, non-polluting, renewable resource that is always available. For a long time, experts have been experimenting the most efficient methods of its use. Here are some basic facts on how it is currently being used. Solar power has a variety of different uses. It can be used as a direct means of heat, for example heating water. It can be converted to electricity via photo voltaic cells. Using the solar power directly is often termed 'passive solar' whereas converting it into electricity is known as 'active solar'. The weak form in which we receive solar energy can be a limiting factor. To make the best use possible of solar power we need to discover how to harness it and then make it concentrated. People have used solar power in passive systems for hundreds, even thousands, of years, for example in lighting fires, heating water, drying wood, and so on. Solar water heaters are now in use in many places where sunlight is available for most days in the year, and there are also solar power plants in existence, which concentrate the sun's energy and generate large amounts of electricity. This kind of power plant is especially useful and economical in out of the way places where it is difficult to get conventional electricity. Solar power is even put to use in outer space, by satellites and space craft. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in using solar power to power motor vehicles. This however is still in the experimental stages. The problem is that a large amount of power is needed to supply the car's engine and this would mean large solar panels. Large solar panels on a typical car are fragile and their size would also make them impractical. When the sun is not shining, these cars could only run for a short time, meaning that solar power is not yet able to run such vehicles. Also, the weather is not completely predictable and nobody wants their vehicle to come to a sudden stop with no way of restarting it until the sun decides to come out. Solar power demand is on the up but right now the costs prevent it from being a widely used energy means. The technology is available but the cost of converting the solar power into energy is too high. Fuel costs are also rising however which means that solar power will be a viable alternative if this continues. Present day fuels also have an environmental impact and people are becoming more aware of this and want to find environmentally friendly alternatives using clean energy. Manufacturers will find it more feasible to produce solar powered devices because of this rising demand. About the Author: If you are interested to learn more about solar energy then visit Paul Wood's website for more interesting information about solar energy uses |
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