The sun provides an enormous amount of energy. Its power can help us avoid the rising price of electricity and the environmental damage inflicted by fossil fuels.
As solar technologies evolve, efficiency improves, and prices decline, more people can switch to clean energy. With net metering and online monitoring, solar users can keep track of their production and consumption.
[PS: Also, check out our guide on How Renters Can Go Green With Community Solar]
Lighting
Whether you’re using solar-powered calculators or want to turn on your phone without running out of juice, there are many uses for the sun’s power. Ultimately, it’s an abundant energy source that is free and unlimited in quantity. It’s also a non-polluting alternative to fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil.
The solar energy that reaches Earth daily comprises both heat and light. The former is harnessed for various thermal applications, including water heating, cooling buildings, and generating process heat. The latter is used for electricity generation through solar photovoltaics (PV), hot water systems, and concentrated solar power.
PV solar panels use semiconductors to convert sunlight into electricity by knocking electrons loose from atoms, which creates an electric current that flows through metal contacts. The technology is ideally suited for residential and commercial solar electricity generation.
Concentrated solar power, on the other hand, uses mirrors and tracking systems to focus sunlight into a small beam that heats a fluid, which can then generate electricity in the same way as a conventional power plant. The advantages of solar energy are currently used in large utility-scale solar projects but are unlikely to find widespread residential applications.
Heating
The sun provides heat energy, which materials in the ground and atmosphere absorb. This energy warms the objects and materials of our world throughout the day. As they cool at night, these materials release heat into the surrounding environment. This natural process is what solar thermal power aims to harness through passive and active technologies.
The sun’s energy can be converted to electricity through photovoltaic cells and used in various home and commercial power generation applications. Large companies like Apple and Amazon run their data centers on renewable solar energy.
There are two ways to use solar power in your home: solar water heating and electricity generation. With the latter, your system is connected to the electricity grid and generates electricity for you when the sun is shining, but your electricity consumption is greatest. This is referred to as net metering.
With solar water heating, your solar system is connected to the house’s existing plumbing and focuses on heating the water in your household. This is done using solar panels, generally installed on your roof, and using sunlight to generate electricity and heat your water. It is a much more cost-effective way of heating your home and helps reduce energy bills, particularly in winter.
Electricity
You’ve probably seen solar panels on the roofs of homes or in fields around town, and you may have even wondered how those panels generate electricity. Two primary technologies can harness solar energy to produce electricity: Photovoltaics (or PV) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP).
Solar panels absorb the sun’s rays, which knocks electrons loose. These free electrons flow through metal contacts on the top and bottom of a solar cell, creating an electric current. Solar panels convert that current to AC electricity, which solar inverters transfer to the home.
The electricity is then used at any house outlet, just as it would be if the panels were not connected to the grid. Most states have net metering policies, allowing solar users to send excess electricity back to the grid, earning money on their electricity bill.
However, the benefits of solar energy go far beyond helping individuals save on their electricity bills. Solar can also be used in remote areas that do not have access to the energy grid.
Solar energy can drastically improve the quality of life for millions of people relying on fuel-based technologies that can inflict significant health problems and limit overall productivity by providing an affordable way to provide lighting and heat. For example, solar panels can distill water in regions with limited clean water supplies.
Water
The energy from sunlight isn’t limited to electricity and thermal energy. It can also be used to produce clean water. Solar water heaters (solar power systems) convert the sun’s energy into heat to supply hot water for heating and cooking. Many villages worldwide use solar cookers to boil water for drinking and sanitation.
Solar energy can be harnessed for water production in photovoltaics and concentrated solar power. The former involves using solar cells to turn light into electrical currents; the latter uses mirrors, lenses, and tracking systems to focus sunlight on a point. Solar-powered plants utilize Fresnel reflectors, parabolic troughs, and solar power towers to capture sunlight.
Optimizing solar energy has been an important part of agriculture and horticulture for thousands of years. This has included orienting the position of crop rows, varying row heights, and mixing plant varieties to maximize sunlight exposure. It has even involved building fruit walls to improve airflow and accelerate ripening.
The sun is a renewable resource providing abundant, clean, and reliable electricity and heat. We can harness its energy with solar PV and concentrated solar power systems in homes, businesses, and large-scale energy installations.
However, location is also important when considering solar, as some states offer different incentives and net metering programs than others. Talk to your trusted solar contractor about these factors before making a decision.
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