Difference between revisions of "Solar power"
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| − | '''Solar power''' | + | '''Solar power''' typically refers to the production of electricity from light given off by the sun. The most common instance of this is the use of photovoltaic cells in solar panels, which have been employed on the small scale (e.g. solar powered calculators) and large scale (e.g. solar power plants, orbiting artificial satellites). Solar power is a renewable energy source, in contrast with [[fossil fuels]]. Solar power production via photovoltaic cells typically produces a less efficient conversion of energy into electricity compared to power production from the burning of fossil fuels, but with the abundance of solar rations available to Earth, this limited efficiency is normally inconsequential. The main drawback to using solar power as a principle energy source is the the inability to provide baseload power throughout the day and night: the sun cannot be guaranteed to shine every day, power is still in demand after the setting of the sun, and some areas of the world do not receive enough consistent sunlight to rely on solar power as a main energy soars. Thus, solar power will, at least in the foreseeable future, not become a principle part of the world's energy production but may still be very useful in supplementing power demands in some parts of the world. Employment of small solar power arrays in areas that are rarely overcast (e.g. the American southwest) may allow some businesses to cheaply produce products and chemicals that require large electrical demand (e.g. the production of extremely pure hydrogen and oxygen from the electrolysis of water). |
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[[Category:energy]] | [[Category:energy]] | ||
Revision as of 18:44, June 6, 2011
Solar power typically refers to the production of electricity from light given off by the sun. The most common instance of this is the use of photovoltaic cells in solar panels, which have been employed on the small scale (e.g. solar powered calculators) and large scale (e.g. solar power plants, orbiting artificial satellites). Solar power is a renewable energy source, in contrast with fossil fuels. Solar power production via photovoltaic cells typically produces a less efficient conversion of energy into electricity compared to power production from the burning of fossil fuels, but with the abundance of solar rations available to Earth, this limited efficiency is normally inconsequential. The main drawback to using solar power as a principle energy source is the the inability to provide baseload power throughout the day and night: the sun cannot be guaranteed to shine every day, power is still in demand after the setting of the sun, and some areas of the world do not receive enough consistent sunlight to rely on solar power as a main energy soars. Thus, solar power will, at least in the foreseeable future, not become a principle part of the world's energy production but may still be very useful in supplementing power demands in some parts of the world. Employment of small solar power arrays in areas that are rarely overcast (e.g. the American southwest) may allow some businesses to cheaply produce products and chemicals that require large electrical demand (e.g. the production of extremely pure hydrogen and oxygen from the electrolysis of water).
