What is Solar Energy Really?

Solar energy is the energy that is produced by ourthem to generate electricity. Storing any excess
sun. During the fusion process that the sunpower in batteries for the night when there is no sun
undergoes during its lifetime, it emits radiation. Thecan also keep the use of grid power to a minimum.
fusion process produces many different wavelengthsExpanding on the collection of heat from the sun,
of radiation and sub-atomic particles.there are power plants in the hot sunny desert areas
Collecting and converting usable energy from solarthat collect the heat from the sun and convert the
radiation can be accomplished by using manyheat to electricity.
different forms of technology and includes variousSome of these solar energy plants make use of
direct and indirect methods of harnessing the solarcurved, highly reflective and focused surfaces to
energy.optimize the collection of heat from the sunlight.
There are basically two ways to use this solarThey focus the light onto a central tube that is filled
radiation, by collecting the heat from the light, andwith synthetic oil that gets very hot. This hot oil is
photovoltaic conversion of the light.then piped into a boiler filled with water that is
There are many different methods of collecting theflashed into steam from the heat of the oil. The
heat and converting it to electricity, and many wayssteam produced is then used to turn turbines that
of converting the light as well. I'll keep it simple hereproduce electricity. This is a highly effective way to
and give just a few examples.convert solar energy into usable power.
One of the simplest ways that people use solar heatAnother way to collect the energy from the sun is
energy is by using greenhouses. A greenhouse is builtthrough direct photovoltaic conversion. What this
so that it can best collect the sunlight and heat thatmeans is that the light is converted into electricity by
it receives from the sun. Using special glass orusing special materials called photodiodes that are
plastics, the greenhouse and everything within itmade into cells. The photodiodes emit electrons when
retains the heat energy from the sun. This heat isthe photons from the sunlight hits them. By using
trapped inside the greenhouse by the roof and wallsarrays of the special cells and electrically connecting
allowing plants to grow in an otherwise too coldthem together, enough power is produced by the
climate.transduction process to make it a worthwhile
By combining various technologies and the use ofalternative energy.
alternative power sources such as electricity fromAs more and more people demand the use of free
the grid, a controlled growing climate can besolar energy, governments as well as businesses are
maintained to optimize specialty and agricultural cropsubsidizing researchers, and these combined efforts
growth.are meeting this demand by coming up with materials
A large greenhouse could make use of a solarthat can produce more and more energy from a
updraft tower to generate most or all of thegiven amount of sunlight. Solar electricity produced by
additional electricity it may require to keep thearrays of solar panels is now almost as cost
climate controlled.effective as using petroleum, coal, and nuclear
A solar updraft tower is a simple use of the excessgenerated power.
heat generated by light heat that the greenhouseI hope I have explained this reasonably well to you
receives. Heated air rises. Heated air is channeledthe reader, and am only expressing what I know on
from along the ceilings of the greenhouse anda personal level. I make no claims to be an authority
directed into a tower. The hot air rises and thefigure, nor anything other than an interested party.
turbine blades are pushed by the hot air rushing pastThanks for reading!