Solar energy is considered an inexhaustible renewable resource. The energy sun provides to the earth for one hour could meet the global energy needs for one year. Undoubtedly, the sun is a powerful energy source. If able to collect a fraction of this energy can make a significant difference to the planet.
Significantly, solar energy comes from the sun and combines with various technologies to produce clean energy. Without a doubt, it is a chief part of the clean energy future. For this reason, it is a popular choice for a lot of consumers, businesses, and organizations seeking to produce clean energy and save on their energy bills.
What is Solar Energy
Solar energy is a technology with the ability to convert sunlight into usable energy. In addition, it converts sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that focus the solar radiation.
Solar energy combines various ways to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling to houses, buildings, or even industrial complexes.
Solar Energy Countries Using
Sun is the most helpful energy resource available on Earth. In addition, as a valuable and renewable energy source in many ways. It is a significant part of our clean energy future.
Solar power is expanding worldwide and becoming an increasingly important part of the energy mix in many countries. But currently, China, Japan, and the United States lead the world in total installed solar capacity.
Installed solar capacity by country (2018 data)
| Country | Capacity (MW) |
|---|---|
| 1. China | 175,019 |
| 2. Japan | 55,500 |
| 3. United States | 49,692 |
| 4. Germany | 45,930 |
| 5. India | 26,869 |
| 6. Italy | 20,120 |
| 7. United Kingdom | 13,1088 |
| 8. Australia | 9,763 |
| 9. France | 9,483 |
| 10. South Korea | 8,862 |
Worldwide Solar Power Potential
Solar panels can generate electricity just about anywhere on Earth, but some areas receive more sunlight than others, and as such, have a higher solar energy potential.
The following map shows the regions with the highest PV generation potential. It forms on the insolation in different parts of the Earth’s surface, which shows how much solar radiation affects an area.
Several factors affect the PV potential/insolation of a geographic area, including the angle of sunlight, length of the day, and surface reflectance.
Looking at the map, it’s no surprise that many areas near the equator have relatively higher PV potential, given the amount of sunlight they receive throughout the year. Clearly, the high angle of the sun and the lack of snow and ice reflect solar radiation to space.
Of course, these factors alone can’t predict the solar production potential of an individual installation. Factors like the tilt of your solar panels, air quality, air temperature, weather variations, and more will all impact the hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly energy production of solar PV systems.
common types of solar energy
Photovoltaic Solar power
Photovoltaic solar systems are one of the most popular types of solar power systems available. A common way for property owners to take advantage of solar energy is with a photovoltaic (PV) solar system.
These panels convert sunlight right into electricity immediately, stored in a solar battery, or sent to the electric grid for credits on your electric bill.
Concentrated Solar Energy
Today, concentrated solar power, or CSP, is found in large-scale installations that provide electricity to the grid. This form of solar energy best suits those countries that see very high levels of sunshine.
Concentrated solar power is not quite as popular for large-scale applications as using photovoltaic or PV panels. However, they do have a conversion efficiency of as much as 25% to 35%.
Water Heating Solar Energy
As the name suggests involves the heating up of water using the sun’s heat. We commonly see this form of solar energy in domestic, commercial, and industrial situations.
The heat that this system generates is proportionate to the amount of heat from the sun. Therefore, those countries which are warmer, sunnier climates are more likely to benefit from this type of solar energy.
Thermal Solar Energy
Thermal solar energy, or solar thermal, utilizes the heat from the sun. To heat water or produce electricity, liquid flows through tubes and collects the sun’s energy.
In comparison to solar PV, thermal solar energy is more space-efficient. Solar thermal can offer as much as 70% more efficiency when it comes to collecting heat. Along with this, the technology is far less complex, which makes it ideal for heating water.
Power Plants Solar Energy
The new generation of power plants now works on solar power with the help of Parabolic-trough systems, dish/engine system and power tower system. These plants use the sun as a heat source and produce electricity which is cost-effective and generates clean and pollution-free electricity in power plants.
Uses of solar energy in daily life
Solar Heating
Being an excellent tool for heating, solar thermal collectors allow people to harness PV for heat and energy. Rather than converting solar light into electricity, these solar installations use the heat generated by the sun to increase the temperature of water or fluid flowing through pipes in the collector.
One can easily use hot water for swimming pools, showers, laundry, and other applications later. In prolonged cold temperatures or cloudy weather, the heating system has a traditional gas or electric utility connection that heats the water.
Generate Electricity
We use electricity for lighting as well as to run several home appliances daily. However, it costs a lot when we see our electric bill at the month-end. With the help of solar panels, you can use electricity cost-efficient, cheap to use, and environment-friendly too.
Cooking
Apart from other things, solar is used for daily cooking too. You can easily use solar energy to cook a meal.
You’ll need a box, aluminium foil, pan, duct tape, a cooking bag, Styrofoam insulation, and a thermometer to make your solar cooker.
However, you can always keep yourself away from the hassles of making a solar cooker and can buy a solar vessel from an authorized solar products dealer.
Charging Batteries
You can always charge a device that is battery-operated with solar power. The photo-electric solar panels generate DC, which is the same form used in most batteries.
One can easily plug in cell phones, pad devices, and laptops for direct charging with the help of any basic solar panel kits with a connection port.
Apart from this, you can also plug in the chargers for other batteries by adding a simple inverter that converts DC to 220/110-volt AC with solar energy. These are highly inexpensive and easy to use as well.
Solar Transportation
One of the biggest concerns today is the end of petroleum in the future. It is interesting to know that solar energy used for transportation purposes in many cities around the world.
To create a brighter future for all, introducing solar energy into the transportation sector can help solve the environmental issues related to pollution.
Electric vehicles, hybrids, and vehicles that run on photovoltaic (PV) energy use solar energy for transportation.
These solar panels are not only long-lasting but also low maintenance.
Advantages of Solar Energy
Renewable Energy Source
Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. We cannot run out of solar power, unlike some of the other sources of energy.
Reduces Electricity Bills
Since you will be meeting some of your energy needs with the electricity your solar system has generated, your energy bills will drop.
Diverse Applications
Solar energy can be used for diverse purposes. You can generate electricity (photovoltaics) or heat (solar thermal). Solar energy can be used to produce electricity in areas without access to the energy grid, to distil water in regions with limited clean water supplies and to power satellites in space.
Technology Development
Technology in the solar power industry is constantly advancing and, improvements will increase in the future. Innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology can potentially increase the effectiveness of solar panels and double, or even triple, the electrical input of the solar power systems.
Disadvantages of Solar Energy
Cost
The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is reasonably high. It includes paying for solar panels, inverter, batteries, wiring, and installation.
Nevertheless, solar technologies are constantly developing, so it is safe to assume that prices will go down in the future.
Weather-Dependent
Undoubtedly, solar energy can still work during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system drops. Solar panels are dependent on sunlight for solar energy. Therefore, a few cloudy, rainy days can have a noticeable effect on the energy system. You should also take into account that solar energy doesn’t work during the night.
Solar Energy Storage Is Expensive
Solar energy has to be used right away or can be stored in large batteries.These batteries used in off-the-grid solar systems are charged during the day so that it can be used at night.
This is a good solution for using solar energy all day long but it is also quite expensive.
Uses a Lot of Space
The more electricity you want to produce, the more solar panels you will need, as you want to collect as much sunlight as possible. Solar PV panels require a lot of space and some roofs are not big enough to fit the number of solar panels that you would like to have.
Towards a Cleaner Energy Future
The variety of solar systems and technology including solar cells, passive solar and solar panels could help us to take a step away from our reliance on traditional methods.
In most cases, solar has a significant history which might surprise many. Today, solar is now evolving faster and becoming more mainstream as environmental concerns and efficiencies increase and costs come down. Especially given many of the technologies are over 100 years old.
Into the future, we’re likely to see more and more solar panels on roofs and dotted across our landscapes. There’s little doubt as we pursue cleaner energy sources that the different types of solar energy we know about today, and perhaps some yet to be invented, will be at the forefront of the clean green solar energy revolution we’re seeking.
How does Solar produce electricity?
The power generated by a single photovoltaic cell is typically only about two watts. By connecting large numbers of individual cells to solar-panel arrays, thousands of kilowatts of electricity produces in a solar power plant or large home array.
Solar technologies capture this radiation and directly convert it into electricity by solar cells (photovoltaic cells). A small electrical voltage produces when light strikes the junction between a metal and a semiconductor (such as silicon) or between two different semiconductors.
Silicon is set up below non-reflective glass to produce PV panels that collect photons from the sun and convert them into DC (direct current) electric power. As a result, this DC power then flows into an inverter which transforms it into AC (alternating current) electricity.