Solar Power

We are in a time of need for better and more efficient ways to produce energy. Primarily, all of the world’s energy comes from an exhausted source of fossil fuels. Right now, fossil fuels provide about 66% of the world’s electrical energy and about 95% of the world’s total energy (Annesley). As technological advancements are being made we tend to use more energy. There are numerous reports that will show you numbers, estimated dates and predictions of that we will run out of fossil fuels in about 50 years (Annesley). Scientists and engineers have been working on ways to provide new energy sources for the world to stop using fossil fuels; one of these new technological advancements is solar power.

What is solar power? Solar Power is a renewable energy source that converts sunlight into electricity and heat (Solar Power). Solar power is an inexhaustible energy source that is pollution free. The opportunities are limitless; we can use solar power for any purpose from powering our houses to powering cars. Even though there is only a tiny percent of the sun’s light that actually hits the earth it is enough for us to supply power for the entire population more than 8500 times of all other current power sources combined (Solar Power). We are not in danger of burning out the sun and it is an energy source that is going to be there everyday; the problem is efficiently collecting and harnessing all this energy.

Solar Technology collects energy from the sun in two ways. The first method involves capturing sunlight with solar panels. Solar panels are made up of lots of photovoltaic or solar cells (Solar Electric Power Association). This method is commonly used for residential power and some industrial applications; it either heats air or water to form thermal energy. These solar water heaters, which collect the heat (solar thermal energy) from the sun through big glass panels called solar collectors, transfer the energy down to water tanks. The second method involves photoelectric applications. The solar furnace, which looks like really big mirrors that capture sunlight and focus it down to a specific point. This creates a significant amount of heat, which is transferred to electricity that can be used for anything (Solar Electric Power Association).

Many new developments have been made in solar technology to increase efficiency. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland have been working on flexible solar rooftop shingles to replace the big and boxy glass panels mounted to metal frames that you see now (Solar Electric Power Association). This new innovation uses technology that was introduced with the new LCD and Plasma TV’s to protect them from moister. They are thin transparent films that act as protective barriers. Using this new technology they are able to integrate the solar cells with these thin film barriers and create flexible rooftop shingles. PNNL states that comparing the old technology with the new shingles; we would find instillation cheaper, and the shingles are designed to last 25 years. This is comparable to purchasing a new roof (Solar Electric Power Association).

Scientists all around the world have been working on dye-sensitized solar cells. A dye-sensitized solar cell is a fairly new class of a more cost efficient solar cell; that belong to the group of thin film solar cells. These cells are created using a semiconductor that is formed between a photosensitized anode and an electrolyte; this seystem is called a photoelectric system (Wikippedia). “This cell was invented by Michael Gratzel and Brian O'Regan at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in 1991 and are also known as Grätzel cells”(Wikipedia). “This cell is extremely promising because it is made of low-cost materials and does not need an elaborate apparatus to manufacture. In bulk it should be significantly less expensive than older solid-state cell designs”. These cells are extremely robust and yet can be made into flexible sheets that are designed to withstand whether like tree strikes and hail (Wikipedia). The reason we haven’t seen this technology yet is due to some chemical stability problems, manufactures are hoping that by 2020 it will potentially be a significant part of renewable electricity.Although this new innovation has not been perfected yet, it could enable us to potentially power our vehicles instead of using gasoline to power our vehicle. The Air Force is considering this technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) (Solar Electric Power Association). UAV’s can only run as long as they have fuel; just imagine what they could do if they didn’t have to come back to base to refuel. If they could draw their power source from the sun and store it for continual use they could stay out in operation for longer periods of time without refueling.

Stirling Energy Systems and Tessera Solar worked jointly to redo their SunCatcher(TM) dishes; now making them much more efficient, and less costly with each dish capable of delivering up to 150KW of grid ready energy that will be ready for high rate production in 2010. These are just some of the new developments for solar technology. With the high demand for new renewable energy the list is very long of either new advancements or projects that are being worked on for solar power.

Despite all the great benefits of solar power there are some drawbacks. One drawback is they can’t produce power at night and may not produce the best when it is cloudy outside. Another drawback is it may take a lot of panels to produce the required amount of energy you desire that could mean spending a lot of money. With every technology there could be drawbacks. I look at the drawbacks of solar power and feel comfortable and confident that with all the new advancements in technology we have currently, there is no problem using solar power. The energy that is harnessed from the sun is stored in batteries and other devices and replenished when needed, so the drawback of not being able to collect energy at night isn’t really a problem; it is more a limitation that we work around. The sun gives us plenty of energy during the day anyway, and there are a lot of places in the world even in the United States, that we can produce this energy an then send it to wherever we would need to have power.

WORKS CITED
"Depletion of Fossil fuels." Annesley College Website. Web. 27 July 2009. <http://www.annesley.sa.edu.au/amep/energyconservation_solarenergy/depletion%20of%20energy%20research%20paper.htm>.
"Dye-sensitized solar cell -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 27 July 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sensitized_solar_cell>.
Solar Electric Power Association: Facilitating utility use and integration of solar electric power. Web. 27 July 2009. <http://www.solarelectricpower.org/>.
"Solar Power - Technologies that harness the energy of the sun." Alternative Energy News. Web. 27 July 2009. <http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/solar-power/>.
"Solar power -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 27 July 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power>.

aceman1	Latest page update: made by aceman1 , Aug 6 2009, 1:24 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by aceman1 view changes - complete history)
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