Versatile solar energy: advantages of solar energy
Solar radiation varies in frequencies from infrared to visible and ultraviolet. We receive light through visible radiation and heat through infrared radiation. We have been learning now how versatile solar energy is.
Even in ancient times, people used solar radiation to heat water and heat houses in winter. In recent years, thanks to technological advances, solar energy is being used for applications ranging from the supply of domestic hot water or space heating in large buildings, to the supply of steam and hot water for industrial processes and the steam supply in large thermal power plants to supplement energy. Generation.
Modern developments have given a new angle to the use of solar energy. The invention and subsequent developments of photovoltaic (PV) cells have allowed us to convert the energy from visible radiation into electricity. Small individual solar cells are assembled in various configurations such as arrays and panels; These solar panels and arrays can generate enough electricity for practical applications.
Photovoltaic cell arrays are being used in remote and inaccessible communities to provide clean energy and are being used to power cars. Photovoltaic cells supply power to satellites and space stations and even supplement power generation in power plants of hundreds of MW. With a growth of 40% since 2000, the installed capacity of solar energy production has reached 10.6 GW in 2007.
The two previous examples of using solar energy are the most obvious and talked about a lot. But now that I think about it, there is hardly any renewable energy source that doesn’t tie in with versatile solar power.
Think of wind power. The gentle movement of the air is a breeze; The most robust movement of air is the wind. The uneven heating and cooling of different parts of the land and water by solar radiation creates convection currents that result in the wind. Windmills are powered by the kinetic energy of the wind. Solar energy is responsible for warming the earth and water masses; therefore, it is solar heat that is responsible for creating wind. Really speaking, the wind simply serves as a carrier for versatile solar energy.
Similar is the case of tidal energy. Tides are the result of the interaction of the gravitational pulls of the sun and the moon on the earth’s bodies of water along with the earth’s rotation. Once again, we find that the sun is fundamental in creating the tidal waves that we are trying to harness to extract energy.
Biomass is used as a renewable energy source. A little thought tells us that the energy that biomass emits is the solar energy stored in the form of carbohydrates and by burning the biomass, which is burning the carbohydrates, we are releasing that stored solar heat. Once again, we are using versatile solar energy in a different way.
The fossil fuel that we use in all walks of life today is also another example of stored solar energy. Fossil fuels are the result of animal remains, biomass, etc., millions of years ago. Again, fossil fuels are a form of stored solar energy, just as we said that biomass is stored solar energy.
We said at the beginning of this article that solar energy is very versatile. As seen in these few previous examples, we have been using versatile solar energy in many ways.