Welcome to Solar Power Guide
Solar Power Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
How Solar Power Works In A Nutshell
from: With the writing on the wall for the eventual demise of fossil fuels, many are turning to alternative energy source ideas to find new hope. One particular alternative has been around for a while and has proven quite effective. Still, many people do not understand how solar power works. This very basic and renewable source of energy might just prove to be a feasible way to power everything from homes and cars to businesses and beyond.Understanding how solar power works doesn’t require a doctorate’s degree. A very basic explanation of how this energy source functions can show why so many are turning to the sun’s rays to power their homes either partially or fully.
How solar power works in a nutshell involves:
• A collection system – To understand how solar power works, one must first understand that the sun’s heat is a source of energy. To make a system function, a collection system, generally a solar panel array, must be used to absorb the photon energy from the sun. Solar panels are designed not only to be efficient collectors of heat energy, but also transformers of it. Once heat is captured by a solar panel, it is transformed through semiconductor material into more usable direct current electricity.
• A transformer – Since most electrical devices function using alternating current power, to understand how solar power works for practical purposes, an inverter must come into the picture. This device takes the DC energy collected by the solar panels and turns it into usable AC energy.
• Batteries – In essence, to understand how solar power works, all one needs to think of is a giant battery charger. Energy from the sun is collected by the solar panels and transformed by the inverter. This energy is then sent to batteries for storage and eventual use. Energy can also be processed directly into the electrical grid for immediate use by customers of an electric company.
The basic concepts behind how solar power works are rather easy to understand. In actuality, the devices involved in modern collection systems are highly sophisticated. As more research goes into solar power, this energy source is becoming more productive and efficient. The advantages of using solar power are many and include such things as potential cost savings over regular electric, environmental perks and more.
How solar power works is a concept that more people want to learn about. As coal and other sources of energy begin to dwindle and their environmental impacts become more clearly visible, the sun’s power is rapidly become more intriguing to tap into.
Solar Power Specific links
Solar Power News
Saudi battles heat, dust to build solar power, save oil
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, may finally be getting serious about overcoming the technical and financial hurdles for tapping its other main resource: sunshine.
Read more...Germany sets new solar power record
The plant produced 22 GW of solar power per hour, which met nearly 50 per cent of the nation's midday electricity needs.
Read more...Germany sets new solar power record, institute says
BERLIN (Reuters) - German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.
Read more...Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, First Solar and Big Green Zero Energize Solar Power System at Taliesin West
SCOTTSDALE, AZ--May 25, 2012: The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation today inaugurated a new 250-kilowatt AC solar photovoltaic (PV) power system donated by First Solar, Inc. which will help power the historic Taliesin West campus.
Read more...Solar Power More Competitive Than Decision-Makers Or Consumers Realize
Are the decision-makers entrusted with determining the future of energy infrastructure operating under an outdated understanding of the cost-competitiveness of solar power? In many cases, the answer is yes, according to a paper released last week by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). In ?Reconsidering the Economics of Photovoltaic Power,? (PDF) BNEF
Read more...