SOLAR POWER

Solar Power is energy from the Sun. Solar cells (photovoltaic cells) are devices or banks of devices that use the photovoltaic effect of semiconductors to generate electricity directly from the sunlight. The photovoltaic cells convert light directly into electricity. There are many advantages: solar energy is free, it needs no fuel, it produces no waste or pollution, can be used where there is no easy way to get electricity to a remote place. Solar power allows you to live on rural land without expensive utility transmission lines or noisy gas powered generators. Solar power is renewable. Energy from the Sun reaches the Earth at a rate of 1,368 W/m2 (watts per square meter).

Because of high manufacturing costs, their use has been limited until recently. However, the continual decline of manufacturing costs (dropping at 3% to 5% a year in recent years) is expanding the range of cost-effective uses. The average retail cost of a large solar panel declined from $7.50 to $4 per watt between 1990 and 2005. Now, Solar cells provide the energy to run satellites that oribt the Earth and many calculators powered by solar cells.

There are three main ways that we use the Sun's energy:

• Solar Cells
  
• Solar water heating
  
• Solar Furnaces