Solar Energy – Alternatives to Suit Our Needs
Everyone knows how important the sun is to the health and growth of plants and trees, and by now we should all know how important plants and trees are to the health and growth of humans, animals and the earth we live in.
Every year we learn more ways to capture the sun’s energy. One of the ways which manages to collect the solar energy is PV (photo voltaic) panels, which then converts it into electricity. They’ve actually developed a micro converter to change dc power into ac power which is a more efficient unit. One of the most common PV panels is made of silicon and of those there are three groups: single-crystal silicon, multi-crystal silicon and amorphous silicon. Each one of these separate technologies is produced differently and each has its own pros and cons.
Single-crystal silicon panels can be somewhat expensive however are considered to be more reliable and therefore more efficient. The modules that are made from multi-crystalline or poly-crystalline silicon have more flexibility both in qualities and pricing. The amorphous silicon is a newer innovation which applies the thin film to plastics and metals. The newest of which is the CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide). The technology tends to be less efficient but is less expensive to produce and has a wider range of uses, such as cellular phones or computers to roofing materials that will allow the conversion of solar energy into electricity.
Solar heat collectors are another alternative technology that is very effective and can usually be much less expensive. One of the applications is to use a solar heat collector to heat the air by taking cool air in, heating it, and then return the warm air. This can be done either by using the air from inside a room or from taking fresh air in from outside. The other application is to heat water by using the solar energy through a solar heat collector. Some of the ways this technology is being used is in heating pools or making sure that the water in the hot water storage units in our homes remains at a constant temperature so that it takes less energy. The biggest advantage to this of course is the water is ready to use already warm.
Solar Energy is definitely the way of the future if we are to protect our environment and sustain life here on earth.