In their search to figure out how to turn solar energy into electricity scientists have developed photovoltaic technology that converts solar energy from the sun into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made up of two or more thin layers of semi-conducting materials. Today the most commonly used semi-conducting material used in photovoltaic cells is silicon. When silicon is exposed to light, an electrical charge is generated in the form of direct current, which can be conducted away with metal contacts.
Knowing how to turn solar energy into electricity provides a variety of advantages. Energy from the sun truly provides the foundation of all life on earth. None of us would be here today without it. Actually, nearly all of the types of energy we have available to us depend on the sun. It is solar energy that powers plant photosynthesis to give us food energy and it also provides the heat that both plant and animal life need to survive.
Solar Energy At Work
When we burn fossil fuels we are releasing the solar energy that is trapped within them. The sun also drives the earth's weather systems and creates the winds that we can harness to create even more electricity from. Even the ocean's waves that are controlled by the sun can be converted into usable electrical power.
Solar Energy Advantages
It is generally accepted that knowing how to turn solar energy into electricity offers genuine and useful alternatives to consuming our finite reserves of fossil fuels. Using solar energy is also infinitely better for the environment than burning fossil fuels and has no potential long-term dangers like nuclear power.
Using our knowledge of how to turn solar energy into electricity works well for most items in a residential setting but there are some exceptions. Large appliances with electric heating elements, like water heaters and electric clothes dryers use such large amounts of power that solar power is not a cost effective alternative. Converting these types of appliances to natural gas or propane is usually recommended.
While turning solar energy into electricity provides numerous advantages, it also has a few drawbacks. Until more efficient solar panels are invented the amount of electricity produced is diffuse and intermittent. Power generation can be interrupted by night and cloud cover, which means that solar electricity generation has a relatively small capacity factor - in fact it is less than 15 percent.
Nevertheless, the rewards for taking advantage of our current limited knowledge of how to turn solar energy into electricity far outweigh the disadvantages. Solar power is certainly an energy source that will become more and more popular as time goes by, especially with the price of fossil fuels continuing to rise. People will soon be looking even more seriously for an energy source that is efficient and much less expensive.
