Solar Power Essay, Research Paper

About 47 per cent of the energy that

the sun releases to the earth actually reaches the

ground. About a third is reflected directly back

into space by the atmosphere. The time in which

solar energy is available, is also the time we least

need it least – daytime. Because the sun’s energy

cannot be stored for use another time, we need to

convert the suns energy into an energy that can be

stored. One possible method of storing solar

energy is by heating water that can be insulated.

The water is heated by passing it through hollow

panels. Black-coated steal plates are used

because dark colours absorb heat more efficiently.

However this method only supplies enough energy

for activities such as washing and bathing. The

solar panels generate "low grade" heat, that is,

they generate low temperatures for the amount of

heat needed in a day. In order to generate "high

grade" heat, intense enough to convert water into

high-pressure steam which can then be used to

turn electric generators there must be another

method. The concentrated beams of sunlight are

collected in a device called a solar furnace, which

acts on the same principles as a large magnifying

glass. The solar furnace takes the sunlight from a

large area and by the use of lenses and mirrors can

focus the light into a very small area. Very

elaborate solar furnaces have machines that angle

the mirrors and lenses to the sun all day. This

system can provide sizeable amounts of electricity

and create extremely high temperatures of over

6000 degrees Fahrenheit. Solar energy generators

are very clean, little waste is emitted from the

generators into the environment. The use of coal,

oil and gasoline is a constant drain, economically

and environmentally. Will solar energy be the

wave of the future? Could the worlds requirement

of energy be fulfilled by the "powerhouse" of our

galaxy – the sun? Automobiles in the future will

probably run on solar energy, and houses will have

solar heaters.