What is Solar Energy?
What is Solar Energy? : Let There Be Light
From the word itself — solar energy — can be defined as any energy that came from the sun. Solar energy is the most fundamental energy in our planet. The absence of it would be detrimental that it would eliminate every life being on the entire planet. Aside from the heat and light that it every day provides, here are some trivial facts about the sun that we may not know about:
It affects our mood. Sunny days are usually equated with feeling of happiness and the absence of it is usually equated with negative feelings that could be experienced during winter (feelings of sadness), rainy seasons (feelings of distress from trials) or even at night (feelings of fear from ghosts or danger that could not be seen). It can even result to Seasonal Affective Disorders such as winter depression or fall-onset SAD and spring-onset SAD.
It affects our fashion. We frequently wear light color clothes during summer and dark color clothes during winter or rainy seasons. Do you really know why?
Colors can be explained by the number or type of wavelength that it produces. Light color clothes tend to bounce light while Dark color clothes tend to absorb them. Hence, wearing light color clothes during summer make us a little cool and wearing dark color clothes during winter/summer makes us a little warm.
Solar energy is a treatment for babies. It is common to see babies turn a little yellow 24 hours after birth and this is called as “physiologic jaundice”. The treatment for that is letting the baby undergo treatment that uses bilirubin blanket or bili light or by simply carrying the baby outside during the day (early morning or late afternoon).
Today, aside from using the energy that the sun provides us, we still tend to use other source of energy for our comfort in return we tend up consuming most of our natural resources. My question is that, do you think the sun is not enough?
Have you ever tried to look directly at the sun with your naked eye for a long amount of time? Or have you tried sun bathing without using a sun block? The answer to these questions should be NO because doing so is considered harmful.
Many scientists believe that the sun is powerful enough to provide us the energy we need, the problem is we know little about it.
Solar Energy to Electric Energy
The problem with the modern day journals is that they have the tendency to be complicated. Try to read sites that conduct research about energy and you will see one or more of these words:
Total Primary Energy Supply (TEPS), 433 Ej, TW power net, efficient solar conversion systems, Ohms, Watts, Amperes, Weber Tesla, 2.43 Wm. Our initial reaction: “we flip the page,” Why? Because most of us do not know these terms, we tend to ignore such topics. What we know is that we have electricity in our homes and we pay for it.
Solar energy can be converted to electric energy although the initial set up for the solar panel equipment is expensive. Further expenses would be from maintenance such as for cleaning and repairs.
Our logic is that why would I spend my money on something that is expensive when I can use something (electric energy) that is cheaper? Why invest in something that is not widely accepted? My parents, friends, colleagues and even my neighbors pay their monthly electric bills; why should I be of any difference? From a short term perspective this is true.
What does Solar Energy Provide?
However, from a long-term perspective, we are wrong because if the equipment necessary is built in your homes no more electric bills will be added from your monthly expenses. With proper knowledge and skills you may not even be paying the necessary fees for the maintenance.
The problem is that we barely have enough information for its use and that we don’t have the ability to pay for the required solar equipment right away, although there are many solar energy tax incentives that lower the initial cost of the equipment. What are solar panels? In short, they’re devices used to convert solar energy into electricity that we can use.
What should we do?
Actions regarding such topics require changes which in turn also require a lot of time. These changes could not be done overnight. To do so would be like asking an alcoholic to stop drinking alcohol immediately or a drug addict to stop taking drugs immediately.
What we should do is somewhat more on the basics, such as hanging your clothes during sunny days instead of using the dryer, opening your windows instead of switching on your light bulbs or exercising outdoors instead of using the television and the like.
Ongoing research is still being conducted in order to make solar energy more convenient for our use. Solar panel companies have been and continue to make excellent technological advances in the development of more efficient photovoltaic modules. However, it is important that we are informed about these changes so that we can save our environment.
Through these little deeds we are contributing a big part in saving our environment and in making the world a better place.
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