Solar Energy

Most of the power that we have on the Earth is from solar energy.  Solar energy is energy that is made right from the sun and sunlight.  Solar power is used for electric energy and heat energy.

What Kind of Energy is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is a renewable energy source.  Renewable means that the energy source can never be used up and our sunshine can never be used up.

Solar energy is different than other types of energy because energy such as coal or oil are non-renewable and this means that once they are used up, they cannot be replaced.

Why is Solar Energy Good?

Solar energy is good because it is a clean source of energy.  Being clean means that there is not pollution that comes from it because it is not burned and there are no chemicals that are added to it.

How Can Solar Energy Give Heat?

Solar energy is great for giving us heat.  We can use solar energy to heat businesses, houses, buildings, cars, swimming pols and more.  Solar energy heats up the areas around us and when this happens, it is called passive heating.  Passive heating happens by doing nothing.

When there is active heating, this means that there are products that are used to help the energy get to other places.  A great example of this is a solar cover.  The solar cover for a swimming pool is placed on top of the water and the cover pulls the sunlight to the cover and it causes the water to heat up faster.

Water can be used to be heated up in order to move heat throughout different areas.

How Does Solar Energy Give Electricity?

Solar energy can be used for electricity because they have solar cells that are called photovoltaic cells.

Photovoltaic cells are cells that are made from different particles that are taken from the sun and turned into electricity.  These electrical particles are called volts.

Solar cells change the energy of the sun into electricity.  When the photon comes in contact with the cell, electrons are formed, and this causes voltages to be made.  When there is an electrical circuit, it causes the equipment to be powered because an electrical current move throughout the device.

It takes many solar cells to give power to homes and other buildings.

What Are Some Things that are Powered by Solar Energy?

Most of us own something that is powered by solar energy.  Your watch, for example, might not give you a time until it is in the sun.  And if you ever have used a calculator, many of these are powered by solar energy and only turn on when there is light.

What Are the Downfalls of Solar Energy?

The problem with solar energy is that it depends on the sun in order to work.  When there are times of day and months when the sun is not shining as much, it can cause there to be less solar energy.

Another problem is that using solar energy is expensive and you have to have a lot of energy to power a home or an item.

Facts About Solar Energy:

• The photovoltaic cell was invented in 1954.
• Bell Labs invented the photovoltaic cell.
• Solar cells can give energy to run a spaceship.
• The largest solar plant is found in the United States, in California.
• Many people use solar panels to heat their homes.
• Albert Einstein researched photovoltaic power.

What Did You Learn?

• What is solar energy?  Solar energy is energy that is made by using the sun.
• Why is solar energy good?  Solar energy is good because it is a renewable resource which means that it can never run out.
• Why is solar energy bad?  Solar energy is bad because it depends completely on the sun in order to work.  When the sun is not out or there are long periods of time that the sun is not out, solar energy will not work.
• What are some things that solar energy is used for?  Solar energy is used for heating and for electricity.
• Why do more places not use solar energy?  Solar energy is not used as much because it is expensive to use.

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