Alternative Energy Reviews: August 2010

Solar energy is the energy that provides Sun through its radiation and disseminated, direct or diffuse, so the atmosphere.

On Earth, home of humanity and third planet of the solar system, solar energy is the source of water and wind cycle.The plant Kingdom, which depends on the animal Kingdom, also uses solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.With the exception of nuclear energy, geothermal energy and (from the movement of water created by the tides) tidal energy, solar energy is the source of all energy on Earth.

Thanks to various processes, solar energy can be transformed in another form of useful for human activity energy: heat, electrical energy or biomass. Hence, the term "solar energy" is often used to describe the electricity or heat obtained from it.

Techniques to directly capture a portion of this energy are available and are being constantly improved. Three types of energies can be distinguished:

Photovoltaic solar energy: Relates to electricity produced by the transformation of a part of the solar radiation with a photocell (is an electronic component, exposed to light (photons), generates a voltage). Several cells are connected together in a photovoltaic solar module.And then, several modules are grouped to form a solar system for individual use or plant photovoltaic solar energy, which supplies electrical distribution network. "Photovoltaic" refers to the physical phenomenon - the photovoltaic effect - or to the associated technology. Solar thermal energy: It is to use the heat from solar radiation.Occurs in different forms: thermodynamic solar power, hot water and heating, solar cooling, kitchens and solar dryers.Thermodynamic solar energy is a technique that uses thermal solar energy to generate electricity. Passive solar: The earliest use of solar energy is to benefit from the direct contribution of solar radiation and is called passive solar energy.That a building benefits with very good solar radiation, solar energy in architectural design must be taken into account: double facades, orientation to the South and glass, surface among others.Thermal insulation plays an important role in optimizing the ratio of the passive solar contribution in heating and lighting of a building.
A house or a building with passive solar energy will be contributing to a significant energy savings.

Chargers fans, Garden lamps, batteries, hydraulic pumps...Nowadays, almost everything can work with solar energy.Many are those who carry in their purse a GPS equipped with a solar charger and photovoltaic solar panels appear in some few roofs.

Essential for life on Earth, the Sun can offer many other services: heating our homes, supplying power to the most remote places, etc.

Is this what we illuminate to enter a new energy era?