Solar Energy Diagrams

History of Solar Energy

Use of solar energy dates as far back as life in Mesopotamia and the Greeks. They used the sun to heat their homes, their water and to help them cook. It's always been known that the sun had tremendous power, but it hasn't been until the last two centuries that man has been able to harness its power.

Once harnessed with the development of a photovoltaic cell by Bell Laboratories in 1954, man was only able to acquire about 15 percent of its power through solar cells or photovoltaic cells. Still, with the high quantities of solar power available, 15 percent was significant. However, it couldn't become a reliable and constant source of energy for the vast population because the cost of these cells was very high. It was estimated that it cost about $300 per watt with these cells.

As time has progressed, newer technologies have been further developed, allowing more affordable cells and modules to be made which decrease the per watt cost to less than $3. With tax credits available to homeowners who install this type of technology in their homes, this source of energy is becoming more and more affordable to the average citizen.

Currently, solar cells are used on basic appliances such as calculators. However, they're also used to power such advanced things as U.S. space satellites.

Solar Energy Diagrams

When looking at a solar energy diagram, it becomes very apparent exactly how solar energy is harnessed and can be used to provide electricity, among other resources.

One particularly clear diagram is found on the city of Torrens's website. Torrens is a small community located in Australia concerned with green living. The diagram shows the sun, shining on the solar panels. The solar panels are hooked up to an amp meter, which is then connected to a grid interactive inverter. The inverter converts the solar energy from a direct current into an alternating current which can be used to power household needs. The electricity produced is measured in kilowatt-hours and moved to the main switchboard, where it is transported to homes or the electrical grid for later use. This is a pretty standard diagram that shows the basic steps of converting sunlight into electricity for normal use.

Another diagram is shown on the Clean Energy Ideas website. It shows a very simple representation of a silicon cell receiving the rays of the sun and trapping the photons in the cell. Once the photons are trapped, the electrons are converted to usable electricity to be transported further along the circuit.

If Only it Could be Fully Utilized

Sunlight provides 3,850 zettajoules per year to Earth. The world's energy consumption in 2004 was only 0.471 zettajoules. If affordable, efficient means of harnessing the sun's energy could be developed, there would never again be a need for utilizing other non-renewable sources of energy.

The only disadvantage to solar energy is that there are many areas across the world that don't get enough constant sun exposure to take advantage of this type of energy. However, with the proper developments in technology, power could be shipped to them from areas that do receive enough constant sunlight. This is also the problem with other renewable forms of energy such as hydropower and wind power.

Easy to Understand

Solar energy is one of the most basic and clean forms of energy found in the world. It comes from Earth's closest star and has a mass of power that man hasn't even begun to tap into yet. Further development and research on this subject is required in order to get more efficiency from this resource. However, the basics are easily understood when looking at solar energy diagrams. Essentially, they demonstrate the processes used to convert raw sunlight into usable electricity for our homes.