Posted by admin | Posted in Solar Power | Posted on 15-06-2007
Tags: energy, environment, environmental impact solar power, green, solar, sustainability
Environmental Impact Solar Power
What is a realistic, efficient, alternative power source?
Wind turbines are too unstable (wind isn't constant), hydro-electricity in dams causes major environmental impact and by using the tides requires too much space. Nuclear energy is dirty if you take mining, refinement, conversion, nuclear waste (which can't be contained easily), and every other factor in it. Solar power is inefficient, so what is?
The efficiency of solar power is under-rated.
True, photovoltaic was only about 10% efficient just twenty years ago but the current record is now 42.8% and the use of quantum dots promises to bring it to 65% efficiency as the problem is what wavelengths of light the photovoltaic cell reacts to.
Thermal solar collectors have always been efficient as they collect a broad spectrum of wavelengths but they only produce heat which isn't a very useful form of energy and is a form of energy that is inefficient to convert to other forms.
Given the massive amounts of solar energy available compared to all other sources, my bet is still on solar. It doesn't take a lot of efficiency to get 15 Terawatts out of the 174 Petawatts that falls on the Earth.
Keep in mind that photosynthesis has a theoretical maximum efficiency of 6.6% and almost all forms of energy with the exception of nuclear, geothermal and tidal are derived from solar energy. Biomass is from photosynthesis, fossil fuels is from ancient photosynthesis, wind is from thermal gradients due to uneven solar heating, wave is from the interaction between wind and water, and hydro is from the evaporation of water and the resulting precipitation at a higher altitude.
Pretty much all the "alternative" power sources are solar energy just with very low efficiencies, much lower than 1% but on massive scales. We already know we can do much better in terms of efficiency, it's just a matter of scale now.
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Do you want to know how to build solar power generators? Or perhaps the better question is why should you even consider building one? Well, here’s why:
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The first and perhaps the most practical reason is this – high electric bills. Costs of living are increasing and many families are now struggling to pay their bills. With growing bills, it is very hard for families to sustain their current lifestyles. Relying on solar energy will help save hundreds of dollars per month to thousands of dollars per year. The second reason is unnecessary outages, which are quite common in some parts of the world. Experiencing sudden black outs can be pretty annoying and frustrating at the same time. Imagine watching your favorite television show and then suddenly the electricity is cut off from your home, how would you feel? Don’t answer that.
The third reason is its environmental impact. By burning fossil fuels, we are contributing to the destruction of our planet. Fossil fuel is the primary source of high levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Global warming is a direct impact of industrialization-led consumption of fossil fuels. It will be a nice way to protect our environment for us to run our homes using solar power instead. Also, fossil fuel will run out in the near future. It is time that we turn to renewable sources of energy that are sustainable. The sun offers an endless stream of energy that cannot be depleted. We need not worry about a possible depletion of resources unlike with oil and gas. We can be sure that fifty to one hundred years later, we will still be able to utilize solar power for electricity.
The last is availability and design. In the past, only large corporations and government agencies can afford to build such systems. Today, small-scale economical models are designed for residential housing and small businesses such as farms.
You see, there are major reasons why you should consider building solar power generators. By using the sun to make electricity, you can power your home for free.
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