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Solar Energy

SOLAR energy: The light and radiant heat from the Sun that influences Earth’s climate and weather and sustains life1. Produced naturally and continuously, solar energy is a renewable energy many are utilizing to not only minimize their monthly electricity bill, but also to be a little more environmentally friendly, conscious and savvy. Sunlight is advantageous over fossil fuels as an energy source in three significant ways; it is abundant, long-lasting and nonpolluting. Thus, the largest hinderance in solar energy is cost effectiveness.
Energy from the Sun
The Earth absorbs solar light every day in tremendous amounts. The energy absorbed heats the Earth, it’s oceans and atmosphere. The energy the Earth takes in every hour from the Sun is more than human civilization uses every year2. By capturing only a little portion of that energy by cells which turn it straight into electricity, there would be no need to emit any greenhouse gases from any power plant2.
With knowledge and continued research, the solar industry has grown tremendously for the past decade (see table2). At the moment, solar energy, though readily available, is barely making its mark on the world. It is expected to continue to grow with projections soaring as gas and electric prices continue to rise.
Why is solar energy not making the impact most would think it would? Solar energy is much more expensive than wind power and hydroelectricity and not nearly as available to the average homeowner. The manufacturing of solar energy panels and the cells that catch the sun is quite expensive, thus the limited number of households with solar panels on their roof. Developments, such as tax incentives and rebates are encouraging more homeowners to be able to afford and purchase these systems.
Applications of Solar Energy
A wide range of alternative sources of energy exist each with their individual advantages and disadvantages, these technologies range from solar, wind, and hydrogen power to nuclear and...