Solar Energy
The Economic Impacts of Solar Energy
The Main power source
How is Solar Energy transferred into electricity that we use at our homes ?
2) The solar cells then transform the provided sun rays into electricity used to power homes.
3) The transformed electricity then travel into a inverter.
4) The inverter then sends out the electricity to power companies like Hydro-one.
5) Then Hydro-one sends the electricity to local homes.
Enviromental and Economic Impacts
Advantages of Solar Energy
-Very little maintenance required.
-Does not create any sound or noise.
-Average solar panel has a lifetime of more than 40 years.
-They might seem expensive to buy for the first time but it decreases your electricity bill by thousands of dollars.
-Powers the house for many hours.
-Does not pollute the air so it does not cause harmful effects like global warming and acid rain.
-The power source of the sun is absolutely free.
-The production of solar energy produces no pollution.
-Most systems do not require any maintenance during their lifespan, which means you never have to put money into them.
-Most systems carry a full warranty for 20 to 30 years or more.
-No carbon footprint.
Disadvantages of Solar energy
-The efficiency of the system also relies on the location .
-They are very expensive.
-In order to make a solar power plant trees and forests will be required to cut down.
-It only produces energy when the sun is shining or when the weather is nice.
-They cannot harness any energy during a storm,cloudy days or at night.
-In order to install solar panels on a regular town house it will cost you a minimum of $15,000.
-The total amount of solar energy consumed for human use is less than 1% of the entire energy requirements.
Interesting Facts about Solar Energy
-Solar cells convert light energy into electricity.
-Solar cells are also called photo voltaic cells.
-Solar energy is measured in kilowatts.
-Large numbers of solar cells are put together to create solar panels.
-Solar panels first appeared on the market in 1956.
-Solar energy is a very good back-up plan in case any other non-renewable sources run out like fossil fuels and coals.
-Solar panels are made up of silicon.
- One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts.
-Sunny areas like Los Angeles, California,U.S.A receive about 5.5 hours of sunlight per day.
-Cloudy areas like Hamburg and Germany only receive about 2.5 hours of sunlight per day.
Different uses of Solar Panels
Solar Panels can also be used to power auto mobiles like the Tokiai Challenger and the Sunswift IV.
Solar Power plants
Many solar powered houses get their energy from power plants like the Cempaka-Green power plant.
3D-Textured Solar Cells
An experimental 3D-textured solar cell is to be sent to outside of the International Space Station soon.And it is hoped to experience 16 sunrises each day