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Solar Renewable Energy - Sun Power
Author: Matthew Hick
The sun is a powerful star. It supplies us with energy, through a process called nuclear fusion, and sustains life on our planet Earth. Solar energy, or energy from the sun, has existed since prehistoric times when men would magnify the sun's energy in efforts to start fires.
The sun is a valuable resource that radiates enough energy on the United States in one day to meet the nation's needs for one and a half years. Since it is a free, clean and renewable source of energy, it is an energy source that will play a vital role in our future.
Using the sun's energy for our energy source seems like an easy solution to having an energy supply forever. Harnessing the suns energy is where the problem lies. The sun's rays shine all over the world and not in just one spot. Although it takes only 8 minutes for sunlight to travel to the earth, trying to catch the rays over such a wide area can prove to be tricky. Also, the energy in any one given place will vary due to factors, such as, clouds and weather conditions.
The history of using solar energy began in 1890's when solar water heaters were used in the United States. Solar water heating requires a storage collector and a storage tank. Flat plate solar collectors are mounted on rooftops. Pipes carrying water are pumped through these collectors. The tubes are painted black so they will get hot quicker. As the heat is collected the fluid in the tubes get heated. A storage tank holds the hot liquid. This helps with central heating and cutting fuel costs. Solar heaters became popular when natural gas was expensive and burning wood and coals were burdensome. It's popularity diminished with the discovery of an abundance of natural gas and oil deposits. Now they are making a comeback to replace the depleting fossil fuels that had taken its place.
Solar energy can be in the form of heat energy or light energy. The technology of photovoltaic, or PV as it is commonly called, converts the suns energy into electric currents through the use of solar cells. These electric currents can be used instantaneously or stored for later use. The PV cells consist of pieces of silicon under a thin piece of glass. They have both a positive and negative charge. Simple examples of this are the solar powered calculators that are common today. More complex examples are solar panels placed on roofs. This consists of using thin film solar cells as rooftop shingles, roof tiles, and even glazing for skylights. Unfortunately, the cells generate only about one sixth of the sun's energy into electricity. This means bigger arrays are needed and along with this come larger costs.
Solar thermal power plants use the sun to heat fluid, which in turn, is transferred into steam similar to fossil fuel burning plants. The steam is transformed into mechanical energy in a turbine and electrical energy from a generator. The downfall is solar plants cannot produce energy on cloudy days.
It is expected the next few years will see millions of households using solar energy. As research continues and processes improve, using our sun as a renewable energy source will produce efficiency and cost savings. So, let the sun shine in and take full advantage of this warm energy source where you live.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-renewable-energy-sun-power-103549.html
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Try to find a way to heat water using sunlight instead of the hot water heater. Showers some people use in camping, for example, have metallic bags to collect sunlight and heat water, you might be able to try something like that on a large scale.
The biggest carbon footprint is going to be in heating and cooling. Do without A/C in the warm months. Close the school in the winter and go during the summer to avoid heating the building. In the cooler times, like spring and fall, dress warm enough to do without turning the heat on. As long as you keep that A/C and heat off, you will go a huge way toward being carbon neutral.
Most all energy comes from the sun, it is just you must wait a long time for the sun made resources to build up, like the fossil fuels from dinosaur times. So when we burn fossil fuels they are depleted faster than created. We do continue to find them from exploration. Wind and hydroelectric is also from the sun.
The orbit of Earth and the moon and sun contribute to tides. Energy can be extracted here.
The remainder of the energy comes from minerals, either heat drawn from beneath the earth’s surface, or some highly refined minerals react and heat up (uranium). There is only so much heat that can be drawn from the earth too, a geothermal power plant essentially cools the earth, it takes a short period of time for it to heat back up, but it limits how big the power plant can be. Also, uranium is very dilute in Earth and requires processing much rock, about the same volume needed for an equivalent sized coal power plant. Processing uranium into plutonium agruably can make the nuclear fuel cycle essentially an indefinite supply of energy, but requires some maturity in the human race not yet demonstrated (da bomb).
It does not matter if you are electric or gasoline, both are energy forms that could either be renewable or non-renewable, ask your utility, the grudgingly give out this info.
Please conserve, I will do my part, you do yours.
Father Christmas.
Water?
You’re pretty liberal. Not all the way, but far more so that conservative.
Could you give me links websites to get nice statistics on energy consumptions?
You know interesting ones like :
the amount of money wasted in lighting light a light bulb a day is enough to feed 20 homeless people…
(not literally ..but you understand what I’m looking for??)
I’m trying to make a ‘fun’ presentation for kids on energy and why we are doomed and need to utilize renewable energy sources, mainly solar power( I would like statistics on that too…)
thanks!!!
I need help solving two Christmas riddles, can anyone help?
I am really tired of all this talk of “Green” initiatives. Recycle this & recycle that. Stop this tradition whoa! I think, Hey! I’ve been “Green” (red & green that is) for a long time. And renewable energy sources; you’ve got to be kidding me. What energy source is more renewable than reindeer? I feed them hay, they fly and run all over the world, they _ _ _ _ (well you know what they do after they eat) and then it enriches the soil so I can grow more hay and the whole thing starts all over. Anyway… I am up in arms about the latest new “Green” initiative threatening to change how presents are packaged. Just to save a few trees. They won’t be nearly as colorful with this final touch gone. What am I talking about?
This exists in three states and it is an integral part of the entire Christmas experience. In one state, it is hard and cold, sometimes shiny and can be use as a decoration, a spear or a drink stir. In another state, it keeps the reindeer going. Mrs. Claus loads bottles of it in my sleigh. She calls it medicine in a bottle. It’s all part of the health craze that she wants me to get excited about. In another state, it creates a magical backdrop for me and my sleigh, especially in cities where the warmth of urban life is plentiful. What am I talking about?
What are some Renewable Energy Sources?
a group of kids from my school (including me) want to make our school carbon neutral and for the project we want to put solar panels and wind turbines (not the huge ones) on our school what are some other Renewable Energy Sources?
Thanks in advance
Renewable Energy, Non Renewable Energy, and the environment?
How does it help out the environment if we conserve energy?
Doesn’t most energy come from the wind, water, and sun?
I’m assuming since there is a thing as Renewable Energy there is such a thing as Non Renewable Energy, which I am also guessing has to do with the use of Finite Resources, but could someone elaborate on that for me, like specifically what is non renewable energy and how is it created/used?
Sorry if I am asking stupid questions but I’m just a kid.
Where do I stand politically?
These are the issues I feel strongly about, and how I feel about them. Where would you say I stand politically?
___________________________________________________________________
NO to abortion, except in the rare case where the baby would die anyway AND the pregnancy would cause medical problems to the mother.
YES on green initiatives, whatever it takes to become 100% sustainable, with renewable energy sources. and YES to protecting our natural resources and wildlands. Eventually NO more drilling at all, but for now NO more offshore drilling, and increase our acreage of federally protected wildlands. Implement more non-pollution, recycling, and other green things into communities.
YES on immigration, even without the proper paperwork, IF they’re willing to work and make a life here, not just sit around on welfare and expect things to be handed to them.
NO on stricter school standards, NO on “teaching to the test”. YES on a broader home-schooling base, YES on hiring teachers who know what they’re doing in the first place, NOT “trying to fix the ones we have”. and YES to increased arts and music programs in school, regardless of the cost.
NO to retail growth and urban development.
YES to Universal Health Care.
YES to a sliding tax percentage, dependent on your income.
NO to war, get the troops we already have there to clean up the mess we’ve made so far, then get everyone OUT and DON’T send any more.
NO to Big Pharma, Big Corn, Big Soy, and Big Beef. Teach the people the truth about which foods harm & which foods heal, make those foods more available without Godzilla-sizing them with chemicals or polluting it further, then step out of the equation and let the people do it. No need to “sneak” “whole grain” into Cookie Crisp… just teach the kid to like Raisin Bran in the first place. Encourage the return of the backyard garden.
YES to a pay decrease for public service personnel such as police, firefighters, and medics, IF the choice is between a pay cut or a workforce cut. I’d rather have the ones we do have paid less than out of a job altogether.
YES to legalising marijuana. If it’s not “ooh taboo” anymore, yes people will go nuts with it at first, the “thrill” of it, but once that dies down it will only be the people who were going to do it anyway. Reduction in drug-related crime.
“Avomatic”… I wouldn’t *want* them to be under-paid… but if the two choices were either they’re under-paid or not there at all, I’d rather they be under-paid and there than adequately paid and unavailable.