Using the Sun with Solar Energy
One of the most recent energy developments, solar energy is now one of the prime candidates to become one of the prominent energy suppliers in the world. Adoption rates of this technology are vastly increasing as the technology becomes more efficient and less expensive, and it provides a safety barrier for several reasons. You'll soon see why solar energy is being heralded as the most important energy landmark in recent times.
Inexhaustible Supply of Clean Energy
Solar energy is undoubtedly the cleanest and most abundant form of energy in the world, at least until scientists' dream of fusion power plants becomes a reality. However, just compare this energy to the other major forms of power plants. Nuclear power plants are extremely clean, and recent findings of radioactive solar dust on the moon present the possibility of a nearly infinite supply of nuclear fuel. However, the spent nuclear fuel presents a problem for governments wishing to dispose of it. This stuff is extremely radioactive, so the best plan so far is to bury it miles beneath the ground as far away from any populated area as possible. On the other hand, wind energy is 100% clean, but it's just not efficient enough to become a major supplier of energy for the entire world. Only so many dams can be built because there are only so many rivers, so hydroelectric capacity has essentially been met already around the world. Coal and oil are very dirty comparatively. On the other hand, the sun is not expected to stop burning for billions of years, and solar energy generates no waste whatsoever, and new developments have made it drastically more efficient.
Solar energy is expected to reach over 30% efficiency, several times as efficient as it was just a few years ago. Essentially, a solar panel of photovoltaic cells converts sunlight into a direct current line of electricity, and a converter turns that DC electricity into an alternating current, usable by all major appliances in the United States. Large solar farms generate megawatts of electricity, while personal residential ones can generate several kilowatts for personal use, more than enough to power an average home. In fact, if you generate enough electricity, you can get paid by your power company for putting electricity back into the power grid!
Ultimately, oil and coal will run out, and we'll need to turn to other forms of energy. As the technology improves, alternative energy will become even cheaper and more efficient, and the world will have a greener, healthier future. At the forefront of this movement is solar energy.
