There is tremendous growth in the demand for renewable energy. The driving force behind this increase is a sustained campaign by environmental activists and governments as the effects of global warming begin to be experienced. The two most commonly used modalities are wind and solar. If they have plans of making use of solar energy Missouri residents need to understand a number of things beforehand.
Sunlight can be converted to electricity through direct or indirect mechanisms. Direct conversion is the option that makes use of photovoltaic cells. These cells can convert sunlight to electric current. The indirect option makes use of what is known as solar power concentration, SPC. Strategically positioned lenses and mirrors are used to focus incident rays into one beam that is later utilized as thermal and electric energy.
The use of sunlight in electricity provision was initially restricted to small appliances such as calculators to make it possible for these devices to be used even in remote areas. As the technology continued to grow, it was installed to residential homes found in areas that may not be covered by the national grid or to act as a backup to hydroelectric power. Today, this source of electric power is now widely used both in commercial and residential settings.
Photovoltaic cells (PV cells) achieve their effect through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. A direct current (DC) is produced from this process. DC current tends to fluctuate with the changing sunlight intensity hence the need to convert it to a more stable, alternating current (AC). The converters make it possible to produce electricity at a preset voltage. At the same time they make it possible to regulate the frequency of the alternating current.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is usually harnessed using a special collector (such as the parabolic trough) fitted with mirrors and lenses. When generated on a large scale, thermal energy from CSP is usually used heating a working fluid. The fluid produces steam that runs turbines to produce electricity. Thermal energy can be stored for up to 24 hours which makes it possible to generate electricity around the clock.
Hybrid systems are another type that are becoming quite common. As the name suggests, these are made of different types of systems that may not necessarily be similar. For instance, they may comprise CSP, photovoltaic cells and a diesel engine. This means that they can run on sunlight both directly and indirectly and can still generate electricity when there is no sunshine. With such a system, interruptions in electricity generation are minimal.
Statistics show that the use of solar power has been growing by 40% since the year 2000. The main regions where most of this growth has been taking place are the United States, Asia and Europe. In the next thirty years, close to one third of world electricity consumption is projected to originate from solar sources. 16% of the energy will be in the form of photovoltaic sources and 11% will be from CSP.
The growth of solar electric power uptake is driven by two main factors: environmental sustainability and economics. Renewable sources are considered to be clean and produce very little carbon emissions if at all. Since they can be easily obtained and harnessed from the natural environment, they are cheaper than fossil fuels contributing huge savings both in the commercial and residential settings. Additionally, individual citizens producing their own electric power can sell excess power to the government.
Sunlight can be converted to electricity through direct or indirect mechanisms. Direct conversion is the option that makes use of photovoltaic cells. These cells can convert sunlight to electric current. The indirect option makes use of what is known as solar power concentration, SPC. Strategically positioned lenses and mirrors are used to focus incident rays into one beam that is later utilized as thermal and electric energy.
The use of sunlight in electricity provision was initially restricted to small appliances such as calculators to make it possible for these devices to be used even in remote areas. As the technology continued to grow, it was installed to residential homes found in areas that may not be covered by the national grid or to act as a backup to hydroelectric power. Today, this source of electric power is now widely used both in commercial and residential settings.
Photovoltaic cells (PV cells) achieve their effect through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. A direct current (DC) is produced from this process. DC current tends to fluctuate with the changing sunlight intensity hence the need to convert it to a more stable, alternating current (AC). The converters make it possible to produce electricity at a preset voltage. At the same time they make it possible to regulate the frequency of the alternating current.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) is usually harnessed using a special collector (such as the parabolic trough) fitted with mirrors and lenses. When generated on a large scale, thermal energy from CSP is usually used heating a working fluid. The fluid produces steam that runs turbines to produce electricity. Thermal energy can be stored for up to 24 hours which makes it possible to generate electricity around the clock.
Hybrid systems are another type that are becoming quite common. As the name suggests, these are made of different types of systems that may not necessarily be similar. For instance, they may comprise CSP, photovoltaic cells and a diesel engine. This means that they can run on sunlight both directly and indirectly and can still generate electricity when there is no sunshine. With such a system, interruptions in electricity generation are minimal.
Statistics show that the use of solar power has been growing by 40% since the year 2000. The main regions where most of this growth has been taking place are the United States, Asia and Europe. In the next thirty years, close to one third of world electricity consumption is projected to originate from solar sources. 16% of the energy will be in the form of photovoltaic sources and 11% will be from CSP.
The growth of solar electric power uptake is driven by two main factors: environmental sustainability and economics. Renewable sources are considered to be clean and produce very little carbon emissions if at all. Since they can be easily obtained and harnessed from the natural environment, they are cheaper than fossil fuels contributing huge savings both in the commercial and residential settings. Additionally, individual citizens producing their own electric power can sell excess power to the government.
About the Author:
When you are searching for the facts about solar energy Missouri locals can come to our web pages here. More details are available at http://sunspireenergy.com now.
No comments:
Post a Comment