Solar Electricity Energy Generation Guide
Solar Electricity Is Evolving Over Time
By John M Saragunter
Solar electricity has evolved through the ages. From
the early structures of the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians,
to the modern solar power systems of today. These days,
we can use solar power systems to generate free electricity
for your home and business, solar packets to power your
laptops, calculators and other electrical gadgets. There
are even solar powered cars, running on electricity
generated by capturing free sun energy.
Solar electricity is generated by using a renewable
source, free sun energy. Unlike fossil fuels, sun energy
will never be depleted, as it is an infinite source.
Sometime in the future, as solar technology systems
become more efficient and fossil fuel sources are finally
depleted, solar power may be the only form of electricity
available in widespread use.
The History Of Solar Electricity
Solar electricity is simply energy produced by harnessing
the sun. It comes in many forms including electricity
production through panels, home heating through passive
systems and mobile packets for powering devices like
laptops and RVs, to mention only a few platforms.
Historically, sunlight has been used by mankind to
produce heat ever since we first built structures. Without
electricity, mankind soon learned to orient structures
to capture the heat of the sun during the day and store
it in ceramic or mud materials much like a blacktop
parking lot will radiate heat after the sun has gone
down. Early Greek structures show a particular use of
this solar strategy as do Egyptian structures.
Potential Electricity Production From Sunlight
The production of electricity using sunlight is a much
more recent phenomena. In 1901, Nicolas Tesla was the
first person to receive a patent related to solar electricity,
but he called it radiant heating. He sought a patent
for a machine to capture the radiant heat, but nothing
much came of the invention.
In 1904, some unknown physicist named Albert Einstein
published a paper on the potential electricity production
from sunlight. In 1913, William Coblentz received the
first patent for a solar cell, but he could never make
it work. In 1916, Robert Millikan was the first to produce
electricity with the cell. For the next forty years
or so, nobody made much progress because the cells were
highly inefficient at converting sunlight to energy.
Bell Labs Devised A Solar Platform To Power Spacecraft
In the 1950s, Bell Labs got involved with NASA. Bell
was charged with coming up with a solar platform to
power spacecraft once they were in orbit. The solar
industry would never be the same.
Gerald L. Pearson, Daryl M. Chapin, and Calvin S. Fuller
started researching different areas related to solar,
but not active parts of the NASA project. By luck, they
meet and exchanged ideas.
Crystallized Silicon To Convert Sunlight Into Electricity
While their individual projects were failures, their
combined efforts produce a much more efficient cell
using crystallized silicon to convert sunlight into
electricity. The efficiency rate of the cells was roughly
6 percent, a marked improvement over previous technology.
In 1958, NASA launched the Vanguard Spacecraft, which
was powered by solar panels.
In the following years, solar technology grew in leaps
and bounds. Solar panels today are roughly 15 percent
efficient, but also much smaller than they use to be.
More importantly, companies are abandoning the panel
platform and coming out with amazing new products.
Nanotechnology Will Help Paint To Produce Solar Electricity
The first are shingles that look exactly like regular
roof shingles and perform as such. Nanotechnology is
also offering amazing possibilities with quantum dots,
which are essentially solar panels on the quantum level.
Eventually, these dots will be incorporated in things
such as paint. Yes, the paint on the walls of buildings
and homes will eventually also produce all the electricity
needed for the structures.
Man has used the power of the sun for heat for a very
long time. Only now, however, are we starting to master
the technology to turn it into large amounts of free
electricity.
A Solar Power System In Your Home
Using solar power means you are not dependent on electricity
from the fossil fuel industry, where you are faced with
ever increasing bills. You can use free electricity
from a free energy source, the sun, to heat the water,
power your appliances and turn on the lights in your
home. Using free electricity from a solar power system
in your home, means you can either eliminate the cost
of electricity or reduce your power bills.
Once you pay for the installation costs of a new solar
power system in your home, there are no ongoing solar
power generation fees. There may be low maintenance
fees, but many solar companies are offering 10 to 25
year warranties, so you may never have to pay maintenance
costs, if the repairs are part of the warranty agreement,
between you and the solar installation company.
You can either transform your current home into a solar
home, or if you are about to build a new home, you should
discuss with the builder about installing a solar power
system in your new home. You can join the many people,
who are discovering solar electricity is free electricity.
About the Author:
John M Saragunter is writing more articles on solar
power systems including Solar
Pool Covers, Solar
Swimming Pool Heating, Portable
Solar Power Systems, The
Known Effects of Global Warming, Solar
Power.
Look out for new articles as they become available on
this site.
RECOMMENDED READING
|
|
|
|
| Copyright © 2007
- 2010 Solar Power Energy Generation, All Rights
Reserved |
|
