Solar energy

Introduction
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun harnessed using a range of ever-evolving
technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture and
artificial photosynthesis.
It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are broadly characterized as
either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture and distribute solar
energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic
systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar
techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal
mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Potential
The Earth receives 174,000 terawatts (TW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper
atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds,
oceans and land masses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread
across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet. Most people
around the world live in areas with insolation levels of 150 to 300 watts per square meter or 3.5
to 7.0 kWh/m2 per day.
Solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth's land surface, oceans which cover about 71% of the
globe and atmosphere. Warm air containing evaporated water from the oceans rises, causing
atmospheric circulation or convection. When the air reaches a high altitude, where the
temperature is low, water vapor condenses into clouds, which rain onto the Earth's surface,
completing the water cycle. The latent heat of water condensation amplifies convection,
producing atmospheric phenomena such as wind, cyclones and anti-cyclones.[7] Sunlight
absorbed by the oceans and land masses keeps the surface at an average temperature of 14 C.[8]
By photosynthesis green plants convert solar energy into chemically stored energy, which
produces food, wood and the biomass from which fossil fuels are derived.

Environmental Impacts of Solar Power

The sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity without
toxic pollution or global warming emissions.
The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power land use and habitat loss,
water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing can vary greatly depending
on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or
concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP).
The scale of the system ranging from small, distributed rooftop PV arrays to large utilityscale PV and CSP projects also plays a significant role in the level of environmental impact.

For more on solar power technologies, see How Solar Energy Works.

For more on the benefits of solar power and other renewable energy technologies, see Benefits
of Renewable Energy Use.

Land Use

Depending on their location, larger utility-scale

solar facilities can raise concerns about land degradation and habitat loss. Total land area
requirements varies depending on the technology, the topography of the site, and the intensity of
the solar resource. Estimates for utility-scale PV systems range from 3.5 to 10 acres per
megawatt, while estimates for CSP facilities are between 4 and 16.5 acres per megawatt.
Unlike wind facilities, there is less opportunity for solar projects to share land with agricultural
uses. However, land impacts from utility-scale solar systems can be minimized by siting them at

lower-quality locations such as brownfields, abandoned mining land, or existing transportation

and transmission corridors [1, 2]. Smaller scale solar PV arrays, which can be built on homes or
commercial buildings, also have minimal land use impact.
Water Use
Solar PV cells do not use water for generating electricity. However, as in all manufacturing
processes, some water is used to manufacture solar PV components.
Concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP), like all thermal electric plants, require water for
cooling. Water use depends on the plant design, plant location, and the type of cooling system.

CSP plants that use wet-recirculating technology with cooling towers withdraw between 600
and 650 gallons of water per megawatt-hour of electricity produced. CSP plants with oncethrough cooling technology have higher levels of water withdrawal, but lower total water
consumption (because water is not lost as steam). Dry-cooling technology can reduce water use
at CSP plants by approximately 90 percent [3]. However, the tradeoffs to these water savings
are higher costs and lower efficiencies. In addition, dry-cooling technology is significantly less
effective at temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many of the regions in the United States that have the highest potential for solar energy also
tend to be those with the driest climates, so careful consideration of these water tradeoffs is
essential. (For more information, see How it Works: Water for Power Plant Cooling.)

Hazardous Materials
The PV cell manufacturing process includes a number of hazardous materials, most of which
are used to clean and purify the semiconductor surface. These chemicals, similar to those used
in the general semiconductor industry, include hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid,
hydrogen fluoride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and acetone. The amount and type of chemicals used
depends on the type of cell, the amount of cleaning that is needed, and the size of silicon wafer
[4]. Workers also face risks associated with inhaling silicon dust. Thus, PV manufactures must
follow U.S. laws to ensure that workers are not harmed by exposure to these chemicals and that
manufacturing waste products are disposed of properly.
Thin-film PV cells contain a number of more toxic materials than those used in traditional
silicon photovoltaic cells, including gallium arsenide, copper-indium-gallium-diselenide, and
cadmium-telluride[5]. If not handled and disposed of properly, these materials could pose
serious environmental or public health threats. However, manufacturers have a strong financial
incentive to ensure that these highly valuable and often rare materials are recycled rather than
thrown away.

Life-Cycle Global Warming Emissions

While there are no global warming emissions associated with generating electricity from solar
energy, there are emissions associated with other stages of the solar life-cycle, including
manufacturing, materials transportation, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning and
dismantlement. Most estimates of life-cycle emissions for photovoltaic systems are between
0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour

The Importance of Solar Energy

Solar energy is an important part of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly,
man is learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy
sources.

Solar Energy Is Important in Nature

Solar energy is an important part of almost every life process, if not, all life processes. Plants
and animals, alike, use solar energy to produce important nutrients in their cells. Plants use the
energy to produce the green chlorophyll that they need to survive, while humans use the sun
rays to produce vitamin D in their bodies. However, when man learned to actually convert solar
energy into usable energy, it became even more important.

Advantages of Solar Energy

1. Renewable Energy Source
Solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be harnessed in all areas of the world and
is available everyday. We cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some of the other sources of
energy. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will be
available to us for at least 5 billion years, when according to scientists the sun is going to die.
2. Reduces Electricity Bills
Since you will be meeting some of your energy needs with the electricity your solar system has
generated, your energy bills will drop. How much you save on your bill will be dependent on
the size of the solar system and your electricity or heat usage. Moreover, not only will you be
saving on the electricity bill, but if you generate more electricity than you use, the surplus will
be exported back to the grid and you will receive bonus payments for that amount (considering
that your solar panel system is connected to the grid). Savings can further grow if you sell
excess electricity at high rates during the day and then buy electricity from the grid during the
evening when the rates are lower.

3. Diverse Applications
Solar energy can be used for diverse purposes. You can generate electricity (photovoltaics) or
heat (solar thermal). Solar energy can be used to produce electricity in areas without access to
the energy grid, to distill water in regions with limited clean water supplies and to power
satellites in space. Solar energy can also be integrated in the materials used for buildings. Not
long ago Sharp introduced transparent solar energy windows.
4. Low Maintenance Costs
Solar energy systems generally dont require a lot of maintenance. You only need to keep them
relatively clean, so cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job. Most reliable solar
panel manufacturers give 20-25 years warranty. Also, as there are no moving parts, there is no
wear and tear. The inverter is usually the only part that needs to changed after 5-10 years
because it is continuously working to convert solar energy into electricity (solar PV) and heat
(solar thermal). So, after covering the initial cost of the solar system, you can expect very little
spending on maintenance and repair work.
5. Technology Development
Technology in the solar power industry is constantly advancing and improvements will intensify
in the future. Innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology can potentially increase the
effectiveness of solar panels and double, or even triple, the electrical input of the solar power
systems.

Disadvantages of Solar Energy

1. Cost
The initial cost for purchasing a solar system is fairly high. Although the UK government has
introduced some schemes for encouraging the adoption of renewable energy sources, for
example the the Feed-in Tariff, you still have to cover the upfront costs. This includes paying
for solar panels, inverter, batteries, wiring and for the installation. Nevertheless, solar
technologies are constantly developing, so it is safe to assume that prices will go down in the
future.
2. Weather Dependent
Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the
solar system drops. Solar panels are dependent on sunlight to effectively gather solar energy.
Therefore, a few cloudy, rainy days can have a noticeable effect on the energy system. You
should also take into account that solar energy cannot be collected during the night.
3. Solar Energy Storage Is Expensive
Solar energy has to be used right away, or it can be stored in large batteries. These batteries,
used in off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during the day so that the energy is used at
night. This is good solution for using solar energy all day long but it is also quite expensive. In
most cases it is smarter to just use solar energy during the day and take energy from the grid
during the night (you can only do this if your system is connected to the grid). Luckily our
energy demand is usually higher during the day so we can meet most of it with solar energy.
4. Uses a Lot of Space
The more electricity you want to produce, the more solar panels you will need, because you
want to collect as much sunlight as possible. Solar panels require a lot of space and some roofs
are not big enough to fit the number of solar panels that you would like to have. An alternative
is to install some of the panels in your yard but they need to have access to sunlight. Anyways,

If you dont have the space for all the panels that you wanted, you can just get a fewer and they
will still be satisfying some of your energy needs.
5. Associated with Pollution
Although pollution related to solar energy systems is far less compared to other sources of
energy, solar energy can be associated with pollution. Transportation and installation of solar
systems have been associated with the emission of greenhouse gases. There are also some toxic
materials and hazardous products used during the manufacturing process of solar photovoltaics,
which can indirectly affect the environment. Nevertheless, solar energy pollutes far less than the
other alternative energy sources

Conclusion
The sun is a powerful source that can help our planet by giving us clean, reusable energy to
power our world. The use of this energy is free, does not create pollution, and if used wisely
can help us become less dependent on other more costly and damaging forms of power. After
participating in this Web Quest I hope you are able to see the benefits of this valuable resource
and help change the future for energy use.