Solar PowerBy: Jayna Havercome

Class 607

What is Solar Power

“Solar” is the Latin word for “sun” – and it is a very powerful source of energy.

Solar Power is the energy that comes from the sun and is converted into heat or electricity.

There are three main ways that solar power can be collected. The first way is a Solar Thermal Power Plant/ Concentrating Solar Power. The second way is through Photovoltaic or Solar Cells. An last Passive Collectors.

This is an example Solar Thermal Power Plant/Concentrating Solar Power

It generates electricity using the solar energy to heat fluids which creates steam that is used to power generators.

This is an example of Photovoltaic or Solar Cells.

It changes sunlight directly into electricity. It can be used to power to a small calculator or to heat or cool a home.

This is an example of Passive Solar Collector. (Glass windows facing south)

When the house is built the widows facing the south was made of glass which allowed the sunlight to come in to heat the home with proper ventilation in the winter and not overheat it in the summer.

What is it solar power, is it non-renewable or a renewable resource?

Solar power is a renewable resource.

The reason it is renewable is because it comes from a natural resource which is the Sun/Sunlight. It comes back every day and gives us new energy.

The Process of Creating Electrical Energy using Solar Power

Photovoltaic Cells (PVC) converts solar energy to electricity when the sunlight is absorbed by the silicon that coverts the sun's light into energy when it is absorbed into the substance.

The energy that is collected in the solar panels is DC or Direct Current electricity and has to be changed over to AC or Alternate Current electricity so that it can be used in the home.This is done by a converter which produces alternative energy and a meter to monitor the amount of electrical energy that is needed.

The process of using Solar Thermal Energy /Concentrating Solar Energy to create Electricity.

This is done by having huge solar-energy collecting tubes or pipes with fluid in them. They are heated up by the sun and once they become hot it goes through a solar power plant with a large body of water. The pipes make the water very hot which then creates steam. When the steam gets hot enough it creates mechanical energy which turns a turbine and electricity is created when it powers a generator.

Concentrating Solar Energy, works the same way except for how the energy is collected. Instead of the tubes or pipes being heated in the field. The solar mirrors are all arranged to reflect the sunlight to the top of a tower where there is a receiver, a heat-transfer liquid in the receiver gets hot and creates steam which powers the turbine generator to create electricity. The solar thermal and concentrating solar energy plants produce electricity to large areas includes towns and cities.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages It is renewable source

of energy. Does not create global

warming. Doesn’t create acid

rain. Cheap to maintain once

built.

Disadvantages Sometimes is

unreliable. Expensive to build Needs a certain

environment to create energy.

Needs sun to create electricity.

The future of Solar Power is very bright especially since the sun has no intention of going dark anytime soon. As much as we enjoy the power that is generated by solar energy on earth is also used by us in space to power our satellites and also the international space station such as the Mir Space Station (Russia) above and The International Space Station (below)

REFERENCES

•EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG•WWW.USASEARCH.GOV•WWW.FUELFROMTHEUN.COM•WWW.GOOGLE.COM•WWW.GOING-GREEN-CHALLENGE.COM•GOOGLE IMAGES•WWW.ENERGY.GOV