Lauren Houston and Meghan Sullivan CP Physics, Block A, Mrs. Najmi What is Solar Energy? Lauren Houston and Meghan Sullivan CP Physics, Block A, Mrs. Najmi Introduction Solar energy is know by many as being power received from the sun that is used to generate electricity. However there is a lot more to solar energy. By definition solar energy is energy that is converted into thermal and electrical energy; also known as a renewable form of energy. With help form organizations, as big as the US Department of Energy and as small as SEPA (Solar Electric Power Association). With new technology of the 21st century, solar energy is booming with business. With several ways to contract solar energy the public as well as commercial businesses are turning to solar energy to power their everyday lives. Although solar energy seems like the solution to energy problems in the United States, there are problems that still need to be solved. Cost is a huge problem as well as location. If you are not located in a sunny location then the amount of energy you receive is lessened. The third way of receiving solar energy is through concentrating solar power. This is a system in which large mirrors and lenses are used to harness sunlight. These lenses and mirrors are able to focus a large area of sunlight into a small area. With the concentrated light from the lenses it is projected onto photovoltaic surfaces that creates a power plant reaction. The final way of harnessing solar energy is through lighting. Throughout the 21st century there has become an easier way for the public to access items that use solar energy. Though specific solar lamps that soak up the suns energy and use it to power itself at night to calculators that have solar panels installed into them. With these simple changes in everyday items more and more people are turning to solar energy as their one source of energy. Solar energy is a renewable form of energy, but it does not come cheap. One solar powered heating system can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000. A photovoltaic system can cost anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000. Many families have turned to installing solar panels on the roof of their homes, which can cost up to $30,000 to $40,000, however if that same family were to install a battery operated system in their house to do the same kind of job it would cost them 30 to 40% more. In the long run solar energy will save the average American money because it uses a renewable source of energy. With solar energy, to fuel a home or business there is no oil or gas needed to get the solar systems working, all they need are sunlight. Solar Energy also has huge health benefits because you are not producing green house gasses that are destroying the Earth’s atmosphere like oil and gas do. Another advantage to solar energy is that it is helping many people find jobs in this rough economic time. Since more and more families are looking to switch to solar energy there is a need for more people to install these systems as well as educate the public. Solar systems are also great because they require no maintenance, once they are installed they should last a lifetime. Although solar energy is very appealing to the average person who is interested in using renewable energy the solar panels are very large and require a lot of space for them to be placed in. Since many homes can only fit two to three panels on its roof, many are placed in neighboring fields, facing the sun in order to receive the greatest amount of sunlight. Anther disadvantage is that solar systems can only work during the day unless they have a battery back up system which stores the energy gained during the day. Also these solar panels can only work if they are placed in a location that is near the sun, they will not work in cloudy areas or over polluted areas. Cost Conclusions “As the technology for solar cells gets better and better, this form of clean, renewable energy will find more applications that take up less space and produce more electricity, to meet the energy needs of our homes, schools and businesses.” SAMUEL BODMAN, speech, July 14, 2005 As more and more research is being done on solar energy it is becoming the future of energy in the United States. With oil companies nervous about the decrease in oil, people need to find an alternative way to power their homes and businesses. Advantages Materials and methods Many think that solar energy is having the sun shine on a specific location or business. This is true however sunlight needs to be harnessed in order to be used as a form of energy. There are four ways to achieve solar energy, one being through Photovoltaic. Photovoltaic is a field of study that looks to convert solar radiation into direct current electricity. In this field of study researchers look to use solar cells to capture energy directly from the sun. When these solar cells are combined they are used too make solar panels , which are then placed on roofs of buildings and open fields to soak up sunlight. Another way of harnessing solar energy is through solar thermal systems that take heat (thermal) energy and convert it into different temperature. These thermal collectors are used to store heated and cooled energy that the public can use to heat pools and cool homes. Disadvantages For further information Please visit: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/ This is a website that is produced by the Department of Energy in the United Sates that gives more detailed explanations of what was presented in the information above. This poster template is from http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm. It is free, free, free for non-commercial use. But if you really like it, I’m always thrilled to get postcards from wherever you happen to be presenting your poster. Have fun. Sincerely, Colin Purrington, Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA. Email: cpurrin1@swarthmore.edu A solar cell made from a monocrystalline silicon wafer. A solar thermal system for heating water.