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.