Free Solar Pro - History - Solar Power
A History of Solar Power
Solar Power can be a huge source of energy if it is only put to use
The sun is a source of practically limitless energy, most of it is wasted, but it still provides us with millions of kilowatts of power. It also keeps us warm, and helps to grow all the food we eat. It is pollution free and safe, which is saying a lot in this day and age.
Each and every day, the sun showers the earth with several
thousand times the energy that we can use.
In fact, with the sun directly overhead, one acre of land
receives nearly four thousand horsepower, or the equivalent of enough energy to
pull a locomotive. In less than three
days, enough energy reaches the Earth to match all the fossil fuels on the
Earth.
If this energy could be harnessed, it could solve ALL of
our energy needs. So, logically, we
should be asking ourselves WHY are we not doing more to tap into this gigantic
source of energy? The answer is
that, of course, we are using it. We
have been from the beginning to grow food, create fossil fuels and as
heat. But, we need to be looking for
more efficient, non-polluting ways to harness it.
The use of solar power is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for over 100
years. At that time, the solar energy
was used to create steam to run the machinery of the time.
About this time, Henri Becquerel discovered the
photovoltaic effect, or a way to produce electricity using the sun. But, it was inefficient and remained merely
a curiosity for many years.
Over the years, many companies have tried to increase the
efficiency of the photovoltaic power, and it is now about 12% efficient. Today, there are two major ways to use solar
power. Thermal solar, where the sun is
used to heat water or another type of liquid to drive turbines to create
electricity; and photovoltaic, where the sun is used directly to produce
electricity with no moving parts.
Photovoltaic is one of the most promising renewable forms of
energy available today.
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