Sasha Gonzalez
Ms.Kehler
Chemistry Block 3
15 May 2015
Solar Power
As of the end of the past century, and now the beginning of the current century, the primary energy sources being used have been harmful to our environment, and are nonrenewable. These energy sources are not going to be on earth forever, so it would be beneficial to mankind to find a new primary source of energy to replace the old ones. Solar power is one of the most abundant energy sources we have on Earth, and each year it is becoming more and more popular. With the technological advances in the modern world, solar power energy has the potential to become a primary source of energy for the population living in the Twenty-first century because it can be used in any platform, …show more content…
One of the most popular platforms that use solar power energy is the installation of solar panels in homes. The concept of harvesting the sun’s rays and turning them into energy has been present for a long time, but in 1767 Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure was credited with building the first solar collector. (U.S Department of Energy) Since then, the development of solar power energy has increased dramatically. Today some well-known corporations such as The Home Depot support the usage of solar power energy by selling solar panels in their stores worldwide. (U.S Department of Energy) Other companies such as BP have used Solar panels to support their use of energy since the year 2000. (BP) In 2013 it was projected that about 400,000 homes in the United States alone had solar panels installed in their homes, and it is estimated that anywhere from 900,000 to 3.8 million homes in the United States will count with solar panels in their roofs by the year 2020. (Wisland) According to an online source, “The production of a solar panel starts out by slicing crystalline silicon into tiny disks that are then polished and treated to repair the damage done by the slicing. Afterwards, materials that are added to alter an electrical charge in a semiconductor or photovoltaic solar cell, along with metal conductors are …show more content…
The production needed to develop the forms of energy that can be produced by solar power energy are now being massed produced making them less expensive, and generally decreasing the price of solar power energy itself. (Greene) Prices for harvesting solar energy were high because demand was low, and the materials used were expensive, but as the popularity in solar power energy beings to increase the cost to harvest it decreases accordingly. Scientist are now developing new methods to process different forms of solar power energy to use for various purposes. Using forms of solar power automatically becomes beneficial because it helps lower the cost of electric bills. As discussed before solar panels contain photovoltaic cells that get transformed into electricity. This electricity then goes into the inverter which is used to turn the direct current electricity into 120-volt alternating current. This makes the electricity readily available and is sent to connect to the circuit breaker. A circuit breaker is an automatic device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit. (Harris) The electricity produced will then be consumed by the electrical needs being used. (NW Wind and Solar) There is a lot of savings involved with using this type of energy. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Squeezing every last penny of
Ms.Kehler
Chemistry Block 3
15 May 2015
Solar Power
As of the end of the past century, and now the beginning of the current century, the primary energy sources being used have been harmful to our environment, and are nonrenewable. These energy sources are not going to be on earth forever, so it would be beneficial to mankind to find a new primary source of energy to replace the old ones. Solar power is one of the most abundant energy sources we have on Earth, and each year it is becoming more and more popular. With the technological advances in the modern world, solar power energy has the potential to become a primary source of energy for the population living in the Twenty-first century because it can be used in any platform, …show more content…
One of the most popular platforms that use solar power energy is the installation of solar panels in homes. The concept of harvesting the sun’s rays and turning them into energy has been present for a long time, but in 1767 Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure was credited with building the first solar collector. (U.S Department of Energy) Since then, the development of solar power energy has increased dramatically. Today some well-known corporations such as The Home Depot support the usage of solar power energy by selling solar panels in their stores worldwide. (U.S Department of Energy) Other companies such as BP have used Solar panels to support their use of energy since the year 2000. (BP) In 2013 it was projected that about 400,000 homes in the United States alone had solar panels installed in their homes, and it is estimated that anywhere from 900,000 to 3.8 million homes in the United States will count with solar panels in their roofs by the year 2020. (Wisland) According to an online source, “The production of a solar panel starts out by slicing crystalline silicon into tiny disks that are then polished and treated to repair the damage done by the slicing. Afterwards, materials that are added to alter an electrical charge in a semiconductor or photovoltaic solar cell, along with metal conductors are …show more content…
The production needed to develop the forms of energy that can be produced by solar power energy are now being massed produced making them less expensive, and generally decreasing the price of solar power energy itself. (Greene) Prices for harvesting solar energy were high because demand was low, and the materials used were expensive, but as the popularity in solar power energy beings to increase the cost to harvest it decreases accordingly. Scientist are now developing new methods to process different forms of solar power energy to use for various purposes. Using forms of solar power automatically becomes beneficial because it helps lower the cost of electric bills. As discussed before solar panels contain photovoltaic cells that get transformed into electricity. This electricity then goes into the inverter which is used to turn the direct current electricity into 120-volt alternating current. This makes the electricity readily available and is sent to connect to the circuit breaker. A circuit breaker is an automatic device for stopping the flow of current in an electric circuit. (Harris) The electricity produced will then be consumed by the electrical needs being used. (NW Wind and Solar) There is a lot of savings involved with using this type of energy. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “Squeezing every last penny of