There is no known source of energy as widely available as the solar energy on earth. The sun which is some 90 million miles from earth takes less than ten minutes for its rays to travel that great distance to earth. This means that there is an inexhaustible supply of sun rays - an energy source that is very clean. It is also seen that the energy the human beings all over the world consume during a full year is equivalent to the energy that the earth receives in one single hour. This by itself speaks volumes about the untapped energy from the sun that passes to earth every day.
It is seen that our civilized ancestors used the solar rays from the sun as far back as the 7th century BC. In fact, it is seen that they used magnifying glasses to light up a fire by concentrating the sun rays into a more potent tiny ray. It is also seen in the historical documents that the Greeks and the Romans were the first to make use of the passive source of the sun rays by designing the buildings and monuments in that way. Yet the first appearance of the technology driven solar panels were established in the year 1956.
Even more surprising was that the space programs made use of the solar energy by making use of photovoltaic power system soon after in 1958. It is therefore quite certain that although solar energy was being used, its mass commercialization didn't actually take off with the oil rates still low. It was only a couple of decades or so that solar energy as a renewable and inexhaustible form of energy came to the forefront and became regarded as the single most efficient and green source of energy for meeting the future needs of mankind.
Uses of Solar Energy
Solar energy usage has been steadily growing and more research has paved way for better, longer lasting products from the industry engaged in such production. The revolution that transformed the solar energy as a source for future needs was established with the discovery of the photovoltaic solar cells. The technology involves the use of photovoltaic cells arranged on a panel, large or small as the case may be, and is erected to catch maximum sunlight and convert into heat or electricity.
The large scale usage involves the arrangements of mirrors in such a way that it directs sunlight towards the receivers. Then it converts the captured and concentrated form of sunlight into heat which then powers a turbine producing electricity or run a generator. This kind of system is good for large scale uses of power and can be distributed over a large part of a city and the populace.
The passive usage is the natural way of using sunlight through the specialized designing of buildings, structures and other monuments give exposure so as to give it a better heating and natural lighting system. This in turn reduces the usage of power from central grid and saves cost in an eco-friendly way.
For more information about solar energy and its many benefits and drawbacks in the home or business visit: http://advantagesanddisadvantagessolarenergy.com
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