Renewable and Alternative Energy, Solar

Solar energy has been harnessed by humans for thousands of years, the Mayans were the first known civilisation to do this. The Mayans created the world first battery, by using a clay pot, a straw woven stopper, and a metal rod passing through the center, they would leave it in the sun in the daytime, allowing the metal rod to heat up. What they used this for we still do not know, but recent experiments have shown that each pot produced nearly 4 amps of electricity. The way we harness the suns rays today is rapidly changing, with hundreds of new solar inventions each year. Solar panels themselves are now changing rapidly, gone are the large expensive cumbersome solar panels, you can now buy thinner, lighter and cheaper panels that produce the same amount of electricity. It is estimated that a solar panel can only harvest approximately 6% of the suns rays that hit it. These are said only to be the visible sun rays, nanotechnology is now going to allow us to harvest 30% of the suns rays from each solar panel, to enforce solar power as the lead alternative energy.

­­The solar cells that we use on solar panels, are technically called photovoltaic cells. These are made from materials such silicon and are called semiconductors. When light touches these semiconductors, a certain percentage is absorbed by the semiconductor, this energy knocks the electrons from the heat loose, allowing them to flow freely within the semi conductor. The solar panels also have one or more electric fields that force all of the electrons to flow in one direction creating a current. This current is then drawn off for use as electricity, which is referred to as solar power.

Solar panels are now being used all over the world to help us with our ever increasing demand for electricity. In Spain, the law now states that all new build houses, must have solar panels, each of these solar panels is supplies enough electricity to supply a families hot water all year round. An average home cannot runs its total electricity needs through one solar panel, you do need several, but once you have paid out the initial cost of the panels, converter, batteries and installation, you can look forward to a life with no electricity bills, and you help our planet at the same time. The Solar Power is stored in specially designed solar batteries, and when you need power, you draw it from them. Solar Batteries like normal batteries do only have a limited life span, each battery is different and depends on how you use it. Always follow the manufacturers guidelines on battery use, as new batteries can turn out to be expensive. There are mobile solar energy mats, which you roll up and take with you and they can charge your laptop computer, mobile phone or games console. Since the sun does not shine 24 hours a day, many people also have wind power options as a back up.

New developments in the Solar Energy field are happening nearly every week. There is now a spray which Solar Energy boffins say, it can be sprayed on any material in the world and can produce electricity. So you could spray in on a shirt, go for a walk for an hour in the sun, come home and plug your shirt into a battery to allow you to turn on the television, strange but true. Apparently, if you could spray the whole of the Sahara desert with this new spray, you could provide thew whole world with electricity, making every other ways of producing obsolete. Satellites have been using solar energy for power since 1958, factories in sunnier climates are given grants for them to install solar panels, and now can run their entire manufacturing output on solar energy. If the developments in solar energy continue at the rate they going in now, within 20 years the world may produce nearly 50/60% of its total power needs from the sun alone. Add that to wind power, wave power, hydro power and natural gas power from dead animal and plants, then nuclear power plants may be a thing of the past. Car manufactureers are getting in on the act with solar energy being used to recharge car batteries.