Solar Energy

SOLAR ENERGY

After the 1973 oil embargo, there was a resurgence of interest in solar energy. Faced with a possibility of scarce oil resources, the United States government allocated $400 million per year, from a mere $1 million per year, for solar energy research.

The expenditure is small compared to the expenditure on nuclear research. Currently, there is a need for allocating increased resources in solar research. Compared to the old forms of depletable energy (coal, oil, nuclear), solar energy offers a clean renewable form of energy.

What is Solar energy?

Solar energy means using the energy of sunlight to provide electricity, to heat water, and to heat or cool homes, businesses or industry. The sun generously provides free energy to warm our bodies and grow our food. It lights our days and dries our clothes. Thermal energy provides heat. Thermal solar energy can be used to generate electricity and heat water.

There are various technologies to achieve that, including solar hot water generators on domestic roof tops.DIY solar heating for instance is a popular power and emission saver. With solar pool heaters a favorite as they allow extended use of swimming pools and outdoor spas into evenings and colder months. A rather spectacular commercial application of solar heating is the solar tower. A solar tower is a large solar chimney through which heated air rises and so drives the wind turbines that generate electricity. The air is first heated under a large glasshouse, between 2 and 36 kilometres (yes!) in diameter. There is a proposal for such a large solar tower in the centre of Australia. A small research facility in Spain delivers about 50 KW of power per year in this way.

It is a sustainable resource, meaning it doesn't run out, but can be maintained. Coal or gas are not sustainable or renewable: once they are gone, there is none left. More and more people are wanting to use clean, renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal steam and others.