A Solar Powered Future

The highest amount of energy can be pulled directly from the sun. The sun produces more energy in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year. There are a variety of technologies that convert sunlight into usable energy for buildings. Photovoltaics is the most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses for passive solar design for space heating and cooling, solar water heating and electricity.

Industry and businesses use solar technologies to diversify improve efficiency, save money and energy sources. Utilities and energy developers use concentrating solar power technology and solar photovoltaic to produce electricity on a massive scale to power towns and cities.

How Does Solar Work?

The amount of sunlight that the sun produces in an hour and a half and that actually reaches the earth is enough light to process the entire world's energy consumption for a entire year. Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. This energy can be stored in batteries or thermal storage to generate electricity.

There are tons of resources online where you can find information on the basics of concentrating solar-thermal power technologies, photovoltaic, solar radiation, the non-hardware aspects (soft costs) of solar energy and electrical grid systems integration. Some people who are interested may choose to search the internet to learn more about how to go solar and the solar energy industry. Those who want to divulge deeper into the solar energy industry and learn more about how the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office is driving innovative research and development in these areas.

Solar Energy 101

Solar radiation is light – also known as electromagnetic radiation – that is emitted by the sun. While every location on Earth receives some sunlight over a year, the amount of solar radiation that reaches any one spot on the Earth’s surface varies. Solar technologies capture this radiation and turn it into useful forms of energy.

There are two main types of solar energy technologies—photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP).

Photovoltaics Basics

You're likely most familiar with PV, which is utilized in solar panels. When the sun shines onto a solar panel, energy from the sunlight is absorbed by the PV cells in the panel. This energy creates electrical charges that move in response to an internal electrical field in the cell, causing electricity to flow.

Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP)

Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a receiver. The energy from the concentrated sunlight heats a high temperature fluid in the receiver. This heat - also known as thermal energy - can be used to spin a turbine or power an engine to generate electricity.

The Basics of Going Solar

Solar energy is designed to reduce the cost of electricity, generate back-up power for nighttime, contribute to a resilient electrical grid, operate at similar efficiency on both small and large scales, create jobs and spur economic growth.

Basic Related Costs To Go Solar

As we know nothing designed in this world isn't designed without associated costs. Non-hardware costs, known as soft costs, also impact the cost of solar energy. These costs include installing solar, permitting and financing, as well as the expenses solar companies incur to acquire pay suppliers, cover their bottom line, and acquire new customers. The largest share of total costs exist in rooftop solar energy systems soft costs.

sources: nrel | energy