RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENGINEERING: SOLAR

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Background Information

Solar power is one of the most abundant resources on Earth. Approximately 342 watts of solar energy hits one square meter of the Earth every year. This is equal to 44 quadrillion watts of power each year. A lot of the suns energy is used by plants for photosynthesis, but humans have figured out how to convert the sun’s energy into electricity. Using the power from the sun to generate electricity is a form of renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that we will never run out of and can always use. Using renewables also does not emit any greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. This means that the more solar power we can use, hopefully the less the climate changes. We would only need 0.02% of the suns energy in order to meet the energy needs of the whole planet. This means that the sun has enough potential energy to power 5,000 earths! 18 days of sunshine hitting the whole earth contains the same amount of energy stored in the entirety of our planet’s fossil fuel reserves. There is so much potential energy coming from the sun every day that could be converted to electricity, but there are some limitations. Solar panels can be expensive! Installing them is a big upfront cost, but over time, people with solar panels save money on their electricity since they won’t be paying an electric company for electricity.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

Solar panels work when the sun heating up cells inside the panel. These cells are made of two layers of silicon, one positively charged and one negatively charged. Once heated up, they become loose and are set in motion, forming an electrical current. The electricity is then converted into AC or DC electricity that can be used in homes and buildings. Solar panels can be connected to batteries, and can store solar energy for when it isn’t a sunny day, or nighttime. Also, people who use solar can still be connected to the grid, meaning if they need, they can still use electricity from a power plant. In turn, if someone’s solar panels generate too much electricity, they can actually supply the grid with solar energy as well and receive a check from the power plant for contributing electricity to the grid!

Looking Forward…

Ranking 24th in the world, the United states currently only uses solar power to generate 3.4% of its electricity annually. Leading the way for solar power usage in 2021 per capita is Australia with 3,165 kwh of electricity generated by the sun. Completely switching our energy industry to renewables is not an easy feat. It would require a lot of time, money, and building projects that would definitely be hard on the environment. But the end result would mean lower energy costs for everyone, and less greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere. The US should be pushing towards more renewables as a whole, and solar is a great underutilized resource that hopefully becomes more popular, less expensive, and more accessible soon.