My Secret To Crafting a Life Of Better Electricity

By Daniel Glor


Important Facts about Solar Energy

As the population's opinion is changing about sources of energy, it is very important for everyone to understand some of the basic facts about solar energy so that they can appreciate the endless opportunities it brings to us. Solar energy is one of the most popular alternative energy sources out there today; it is both extremely easy to use as well as extremely ecologically friendly.

Let's look at a few facts about the history of solar energy.

We are not the first of humans to want to utilize the sun for energy; many ancient civilizations realized that the sun harnessed unlimited power. Centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci began conceiving the idea of an industrial water heater powered by solar energy. The science of the sun continued to grow as a scientist observed photovoltaic effects on cells. Centuries after da Vinci's solar water heater model was developed, it was finally patented by an inventor in 1894, which kick-started the whole solar energy trend.

Only a few years after that the world's very first solar thermal power station was created in 1913. This solar thermal power station helped run a 65 horsepower engine that was used to pump around 6,000 gallons of water in the Nile River. The last kick in the solar energy's history happened in the year 1954 when the world's very first modern photovoltaic solar cell was created by the Bell Laboratories.

Here are some very interesting facts about the technical aspects of solar energy.

There are only two main types of solar devices; there are active devices and passive devices. The active solar devices use the photovoltaic cells as energy, while thermal energy is used in passive solar devices. The most common type of solar energy system is active, which uses solar cells in modules to directly turn light into energy. Thermal based passive solar devices often hold solar energy at high temperatures through molten salts. As the technology in solar energy continues to increase, it is becoming estimated that by the year 2060 we will be using solar energy to power 33% of the entire world's power needs.

As we are becoming more and more in touch with the earth as well as technology, solar energy is becoming an obvious solution to many energy problems. The possibilities are limitless when it comes to the endless energy of the sun. The fact of the matter is, solar energy is both one of the easiest sources for energy to harvest as well as the cleanest; solar energy is one of the few resources known today that does not emit greenhouse gasses. As mentioned earlier, solar energy also requires very little upkeep; a solar energy system can be in place for nearly thirty years without the need for repairs or additions. All of these fact s are hopefully getting you thinking about adding solar energy to your daily routine.




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