SOLAR POWER

By: Zack Chiasson

WHAT IS IT?

Solar power is basically the conversion of sunlight into energy.

Even the tiny percentage of sunlight that touches the earth is plenty to meet the energy and power needs of the entire human population more than 8,500 times over

WHY SOLAR ENERGY?

Solar energy is an inexhaustible fuel source No fuel, waste, or pollution is expelled in its usage. It can be used for low-power purposes as well as larger

ones- from battery chargers, hand-held calculators, and solar powered garden lights to air conditioning, cars, homes, and satellites.

Sunlight is provided regardless of whether we use it or not. There is no need to process sunlight beyond the amount which a solar cell or solar collector is capable of doing (unlike fossil fuels or even other alternative energy sources, such as biomass).

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HISTORY

Many ancient civilizations worshiped the sun as the cause of everything.

Ancient and modern North- and South-American Indian tribes worshiped the sun.

In the late 15th century Leonardo Da Vinci already conceived of an industrial use of solar power by employing concave mirrors to heat water.

HOW DO SOLAR PANELS WORK?

Photovoltaic solar collectors (PV cells) capture solar energy in a supremely adaptable and portable form. Photovoltaic panels and films, made mostly of silicon, convert sunlight into electricity by allowing sunlight to stimulate electrons to a higher state of energy, then converting that energy into electrical current. Basically, the photons in sunlight, hitting a collector, create free electrons that can be siphoned off as electrical current

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2zjdtxrisc

USED ON

Solar energy can be used/collected on top of houses, in fields, on cars, on calculators, street lights, satellites, and many other uses.

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WHERE?

Germany was where the major start of using solar energy was at.

Collecting solar energy is much more efficient in areas of much sunlight, such as Arizona.

COSTS

Only 20 Years ago, solar energy cost 7 times as much. Advanced technologies have contributed to the enormous decrease in price, but it is mainly due to the increase in manufacturing volumes, as more and more people realize the benefits of solar energy.

The problem is, even though the price has been cut so much, it is still expensive.

On average, it usually takes about 10-14 years to pay off the price to install the solar panels before you begin to profit from it.

An average family needing 2.5 Kilowatt system –(current electricity bill between $85 and $110 per month)

Cost of Solar electric system incl. Installation: $22,500 LESS: Government Rebate: - $7,000 * LESS: Tax credit: -$1,163 **

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You pay only: $14,337 ___________________________________

So at a rate of paying the same amount as your regular electric bill $14,337 / $100 = 143.37months. 143.37 / 12 months = 11.95 years to begin to profit off of the solar

electricity. If you plan to stay at a single home for a long period of time, solar panels can

be a clean and (eventually) profitable investment.

EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

The best thing about solar energy in terms of its environmental effects is that it produces almost no carbon emissions or greenhouse gases. It doesn't burn oil or produce toxic waste. The only pollutants which factor into the use of solar power are those involved in the construction and transportation of its parts.

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Solar powered cell phone

POSITIVES

It produces almost no carbon emissions or greenhouse gases.

Solar panels are very quiet, unlike burning fuels. They can be installed on rooftops so finding

space to put them is not an issue. Solar panels do not need to be connected to the

main power grid, so using them in remote areas is not a problem.

Even though the initial cost is high, over time the solar panels become a free power source.

NEGATIVES

The initial cost to install solar panels is very expensive.

At night time, solar panels are almost useless.

Pollution causes solar cells to not work as well, so using solar panels in populated (polluted) areas will cause them to be not as efficient.

IN THE FUTURE

As time goes by, gas and coal prices keep rising. On the other hand, as new advances in the development in solar energy technology happen, the price decreases. Soon, the price of solar energy will be able to compete with the gas/coal companies.

“The manufacturing of photovoltaic cells is a big business, getting bigger rapidly. Industry sources estimated the size of the industry at about $30 billion in 2009, expected to be $70 billion by 2013.”

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Solar powered Christmas lights ^“In the future, we will all be brushing our teeth without toothpaste.  And, no, we won't be reverting to using rock salt either.   At least, that's if the Soladey-J3X, a toothbrush that generates its own cleaning chemicals using solar power, actually works”

BUSINESS

The thing about solar power is that nobody owns the sun and nobody can take it.

Anybody who would want to harness the power of the sun could do so if they get their hands on the technology to do so.

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CONCLUSION

Solar power is a clean, unlimited, and efficient source of energy that in the near future will be taken more seriously as prices drop and usefulness rises.