Solar Energy Pros/Advantages

This post will cover the advantages of harnessing solar energy over non-renewable energy sources like fossil fuel and coal. Here are some of the significant pros as to why we should  support the “solar energy drive”:

• Solar energy is abundant.

Solar energy is energy coming from the sun, meaning that it is infinite and renewable. Unlike fossil fuels and coal, the sun’s energy can be used over and over again without depletion.

• Solar energy is non-polluting.

One of the best advantages of harvesting solar power is that it does not contribute any pollution (even noise pollution). Compare it to the process of how we produce power from coal and fuel, which releases byproducts that contribute to air pollution and global warming.

• The use of solar power produces savings.

We can’t deny the fact that we will need to invest money in order to get a solar power system running on our home. But after a while, this investment will be paid out from savings in electricity bills. Plus the tax/cash incentive programs from the government make it easier to own a solar power system.

• Solar energy is independent of the power grid.

Solar power systems can reach even the remotest of places that big power plants can’t cover.

• Solar products are becoming more diverse.

These days one can choose a solar product to fit their own needs. These makes it affordable for the consumer because he’ll be able to pick out a product according to what he only needs. Example of these products are hot water solar panels, LED bulbs, solar roofing, etc.

• Solar energy is semi-reliable

Although we can’t draw the sun’s power at night, we can still be sure that the sun will rise the following day. On cloudy days however, the sun’s light is limited but that ain’t a problem because it can still be seen or forecasted.

• Solar power systems requires only little maintenance.

Solar Energy History

The history of the modern solar energy development started in the 18th century when,

Horace de Saussare, a Swiss physicist, have devised a unique way to use the power of the sun. He thought of a way to magnify the heat coming from the sun using thick glass. He even wondered why no one have ever thought of such a simple concept. The first product to have come up from his research was the greenhouse, and later on the solar oven.

In the 19th century, there came another guy named Auguste Mouchot. He carried on the work of Horace. Mouchot was into finding about renewable sources of energy, ‘cause he knew that non-renewable energy reserves will deplete someday. He invented the first solar collector that he used to make the first solar powered motor. The motor then, was used to power up several devices like the refrigeration machine. Imagine harnessing solar energy to make ice! 

The invention of the solar powered motor made a big impact in the solar industry, but the high costs for financing such researches halted further developments. The need for renewable energy sources wasn’t able to compete with the cheap costs of coal at that time.

During the 1880’s, Charles Fritz made the first photovoltaic cells (PV). These cells were made of “selenium” which only had a 1-2% efficiency in converting sunlight to power. Not long after, in 1891, Clarence Kemp invented the first solar water heater that soon became commercially available.

In the 1950s,  Gerald Pearson, Calvin Fuller, and Daryl Chaplin, from Bell Laboratories, discovered “silicon” as a material for PVs, converting 8-11% of the sun’s light to electricity. Silicon is what’s used for solar cells and solar panels to date.

1960s – Oil became so cheap that developments for renewable energy sources almost came to a stop.

1970s – Solar power had a huge rebirth because oil prices went way up. Oil production already reached its peak, making US realize just how fragile our non-renewable reserves are.

Today, solar energy is still underdeveloped. There are still a lot of innovations and researches being made, hoping to make solar energy the solution to the world’s energy problems.

Solar Energy: What is it?

Solar energy, is the energy coming from the sun, in the form of light, heat and radiation. It is one of the main sources of renewable energy aside from wind, geothermal, hydroelectric & tidal and biomass. The word renewable means that it can be used over and over again without depletion. What sets solar energy apart from others, is that it’s the most abundant and most promising both in power output and commercial value.

Solar energy has been used since ancient times without us even realizing it – didn’t we use it to dry clothing and as light in the morning? Well, that’s our primitive way of harnessing the sun’s energy but it’s considerably different nowadays. Nowadays, we use technology characterized in what we call photovoltaic cells. These cells extract the energy coming from the sun, so that we may use the energy harvested or store for later use.

Solar energy applications have been only limited by our imagination, from our primitive ways up to now. Today, solar energy products become more and more promising– as it ranges from as small as LED bulbs to solar powered cars. The most common that we see however are solar panels. The variety of innovations on how we use solar energy is still increasing as of the moment.

*Note: The use of the words “solar power” and “solar energy” interchangeably. If we look at it in a technical perspective they are actually two different things. Solar power is the power converted from the sun’s solar energy.