Solar Energy
By Salinger Pagano and Luke Blizzard
The Power of Solar Energy
How it is obtained
Solar energy taps into the power of a large, inexhaustible resource. this resource is the sun. In fact, every hour the sun beams enough energy to meet the entire world’s energy needs for a year. This power can be converted into electricity using solar, or photovoltaic (PV) cells. To create these cells, silicon is melted at extremely high temperatures and then molded into thin wafers. When the suns rays hit these solar cells, electrons are loosened and move toward a treated front surface. These electrons then move to a wire and that, therefore provides electricity.
Where can this energy source be obtained from?
One of the biggest advantages to solar energy is that it can be obtained anywhere the suns rays touch.
Examples of current use
Solar panels have been put into use in many residential areas, industrial areas, and some company's are even trying to implement solar power into there vehicles.
Current US usage
Even with all the benefits of solar power, it still only accounts for 0.8% of all energy consumed in the US.
What are the environmental impacts
Aside from land usage, there are no notable negative environmental impacts caused by Solar energy usage.