Solar panels collecting energy from the sun.
Solar
Solar energy collects the sun's heat and light to provide energy that can be developed using a variety of technologies. These include concentrating solar power systems, passive solar heating, photovoltaic systems, solar hot water, solar process heat, and space heating and cooling.
Solar energy can be converted to electricity in two ways:
- Photovoltaic (PV) devices or "solar cells" change sunlight into electricity. PV systems can be used in remote areas that are not connected to the electric grid.
- Solar power plants use heat from solar thermal collectors is used to warm a fluid to produce steam that is used to turn a turbine to generate electricity.
Advantages
- Solar energy is a clean fuel source.
- Solar energy doesn't produce carbon dioxide emissions.
- Solar energy relies on the renewable power of the sun.
- Solar energy has relatively little impact on the environment.
Challenges
- Solar energy is not constant. It depends on location, time of day, time of year, and weather conditions.
- Solar energy requires a large surface area to collect the energy at a useful rate.
- Solar energy technology requires a higher initial investment than fossil-fueled generators and has difficulty competing with other energy sources on a cost basis.
- Solar energy development may compete with other uses for the land and those alternative uses may be more highly valued than electricity generation.