Quantcast

Why Is Solar Energy Important?



Solar energy is extremely important for us to survive. Besides helping us to stay warm, and enabling other organisms to survive, it is used in the commercial power production as well.

solar energ

Solar energy is also essential for plant life as it is necessary for photosynthesis, the process through which plants generate energy and process nutrients for their growth by converting solar light for their own use by utilizing chloroplasts within their leaves and bodies.

Through this process, food is produced for other herbivores together with oxygen for us to breath and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, allowing creatures such as ourselves to survive while maintaining a balanced world temperature.

Hybrid solar lighting used for interior lighting is also a type of solar energy. This is most commonly used to give off light inside buildings. You will find that individual solar lights will marinate in the sun all day and stay lit at night to light up walkways and gardens.

A lot of people do not realize that solar energy is used for cooking. Solar power ovens as well as other kitchen appliances are becoming more and more popular. Something as simple as a greenhouse uses solar power. Power from the sun will help the plants to grow and thrive. Greenhouses also take in the rays of the sun to heat up the inside of the greenhouse. This is very beneficial to the plants during the winter time when they would normally die.

Many of us are unaware of the fact that solar energy is also responsible for generating wind currents, which help the spreading of spores and gametes in plants and fungi to allow their propagation over a wide area.

Herbivores or omnivores also require solar energy to gain energy, which help them to produce various B vitamins such as B-12 to energize and stimulate several processes.

Solar energy even affects our daily moods, as our bodies adapt and adjust throughout the different seasons as the amount of sunlight changes. For example, many people feel more depressed or less energetic in the winter or during rainy seasons, while the summer tends to see more positive feelings and productive work styles.

This is commonly known as “Seasonal Affective Disorder” and is common among not only people but many animals as well.

Solar energy is also partly responsible for the generation of oceanic waves and currents as well as regulating the salt/fresh water mix through the melting and re-freezing of the polar ice caps.

This supports a conducive living environment for ocean creatures as the oceanic currents circle and deposit shared nutrients across the globe. The melting of the ice by solar energy makes sure that new fresh water is made available for countless ecosystems around the world that are dependent upon this cycle for survival.

Lastly, the commercial use of solar energy has helped to provide an alternative, renewable power source through the usage of photovoltaic energy cells for harvesting direct energy from the sun’s rays as well as through harvesting wind and hydro power, both byproducts generated from solar energy.

Many people have utilized effective renewable energy in a number of different ways, helping to reduce energy consumption in many countries, thus providing a cleaner, safer environment for people to live in. This is especially important now as the oil reserves deplete increasingly each year, paving the way for alternative energy.

People who liked this Post also read

  • Share/Bookmark

Glitter-Sized Solar Cells For Electricity-Producing Clothes



The Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM is working towards developing microscopic solar cells, that have the potential to utilize solar power in a unique way.

glitter sized cells

The minute cells are one-tenth the thickness of traditional solar cells and can be attached to flexible backings, which can be mounted onto any odd-shaped object such as buildings, clothing, or even camping tents, thus using solar power wherever the sun shines.

The tiny cells, which are being described as “glitter-sized,” have been made from crystalline silicon. It is expected that they will eventually be cheaper to make and more efficient than the currently used photovoltaic collectors. Moreover, using the present manufacturing facilities, these cells can be made using far less silicon than traditional solar cells, producing with less waste.

Even thinner than the human hair, the chips have the capability to perform with the same efficiency as conventional cells, that are ten times thicker.

The researchers claim that while providing the same efficiency, they use 100 times less silicon to generate the same amount of electricity. The small size of cells make them less sensitive to overhead obstructions that can cause conventional panels to turn off completely when part of the surface is blocked from the Sun.

These “glitter-sized” cells will enable campers, hunters and military personnel in the field to recharge cell phones, cameras and other electronic gear just by walking around in the Sun while wearing special clothing. They can also be used extensively in satellites and remote sensing installations.

Using solar concentrators, which are arrays of microscopic lenses to focus the sunlight, the number of photons striking the cells can be increased, which can further increase their efficiency. The concentrators are cheaper to make and are much more efficient, due to the small size of the cells.

Also, due to the large number of cells in an array, high-voltage output can be generated directly, reducing costs and taking advantage of lower losses due to electrical resistance in wiring at higher voltages.

People who liked this Post also read

  • Share/Bookmark

New Buildings In Europe Must Include Renewable Energy



According to a deal reached between the European Parliament and its Council, it is required that the energy performance of buildings constructed after 2020 must improve and rely “to a large extent” on renewable energy.

better building

Under the new rules, the Member States must ensure that all the newly constructed buildings must have a very high-energy performance. The energy requirements of the buildings should be fulfilled to a great extent from renewable sources, whether the energy is produced on-site or somewhere nearby.

The public sector is required to set an example by owning or renting such buildings by the end of 2018 and thus promoting the conversion of existing buildings into the required standard.

It was also insisted by the European Parliament negotiators that specific target dates should be given, which must still be formally approved by the Council before the full Parliament gives its final endorsement early next year.

The Member States will have two years to act upon the new directive for renewable energy in new buildings, once the law is adopted and published in the EU Official Journal.

People who liked this Post also read

  • Share/Bookmark