Find Out What Solar Energy Is
It's time for you to find out what solar energy is and how it can work for you.
Global climate change is all over today's headlines and news programs. Global corporations are banding together to try to solve the climate change crisis, and politicians are starting to see global warming policy and legislative initiatives as the key to their reelection.
As times change, consumers are placing more value on doing things the "green" way - the way that will do the least harm to the environment. Hybrid cars are everywhere these days, and many homeowners have given up their gasoline-powered lawnmowers and gone back to using push mowers to cut their grass. More and more homes are sprouting large, flat solar energy collection panels on their rooftops.
The power of the sun is a clean, renewable energy source that may hold the future for our planet's energy needs. There are two types of solar energy: solar thermal energy and solar voltaic energy. Read on to find out more about what solar energy is.
What Is Solar Thermal Energy?
Solar thermal energy is a form of solar energy that moves heat from the sun to water-filled tubes below the surface of solar collection panels. The heat from the sun is stored in the water, and the hot water flows through tubes into hot water tanks for storage. In residential applications, hot water is used for ordinary household purposes, like cooking and bathing.
Another residential use for solar thermal energy is as an energy source for home heating. Homes heated with solar thermal energy use a heating system where a network of tubes filled with hot water is installed under the flooring in the home. Radiant heat works especially well in homes with ceramic tile or stone floors, where cold floors are unwelcome on cold winter days.
What Is Photovoltaic Solar Energy?
The second kind of solar energy, photovoltaic energy, transforms solar power into electrical power. Photovoltaic panels are made of silicon-based materials that absorb lots of sunlight. The cells in the panels react to sunlight by producing energy, which generates direct current (DC) electricity. Solar energy systems use transformers to convert DC into alternating current, or AC - the 120 volts power that runs most of our homes.
Power created by this kind of solar energy has to be stored until it is used, so a number of batteries are required to store the electricity. When someone in the house turns on a lamp or runs the air conditioner or dries their hair, energy is drawn from the batteries through the outlet into the appliance.
Solar energy; what is it? It may be the answer to the world's energy crisis and global warming problems.
