Many authorities feel that solar power is the source of energy that is most environmentally friendly to the earth. Using power from the sun to generate heat or electricity does not threaten the environment in the way that fossil fuels do. Scientists have discovered that the sun's rays can be used to generate heat at a temperature that makes it useful for various purposes, and photo-sensitive cells are used to catch the rays and generate free electricity.
What is being done today
To a limited extent, solar energy has been used to cook food, generate some electricity for personal and household use and heat homes. In addition, industry has used it to desalinate sea water and produce salt in desalination plants. In many settings, solar energy is tapped with a "ray collecting system," or by using solar panels, which are positioned for the best possible exposure to the sun. When the sun's rays hit these panels, their photo-sensitive cells move the electrons they contain and create a viable electrical current for practical use.
The benefits of using solar energy include the following:
1) It produces heat or electricity without the need for combustible material, and as a result, produces no residue of any kind.
2) Radioactive contamination is not a concern since no radioactive material is broken down when using solar energy.
3) It generates heat or electricity without producing any noise, and the source is inexhaustible.
Homeowners who now use solar energy to heat their houses, even partially, say that it is cost-efficient, when compared with more traditional methods. At the same time, solar panels are now standard equipment in large ocean tankers, cruise ships and pleasure boats, and they are used to power navigation and communication equipment.
Solar power has its limitations
The piercing of the sun's rays into our atmosphere is limited by several factors. This includes the day-and-night cycle and our planet's atmospheric shield that lessens the power of the sun's rays as they travel toward the earth. Also, clouds covering certain areas on earth weaken their power, and their intensity determines the size and quantity of the solar panels needed to obtain a desirable amount of electricity in a given situation.
Note that the price for solar panels and sun-ray collectors still remains high, and in parts of the globe where the hours of daylight are less than those of nighttime or cloud cover is extensive, using solar energy may not be cost-effective, and the expense of investing in solar-energy equipment is often prohibitive as well, unless you learn how to build your own.
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