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 WIND & PUMPS
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 SPECIALS
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by Ron Curtis
With thermal radiation solar energy the heat from the sun can be concentrated by parabolic collectors and used to heat a liquid that can then be used to heat water to make steam to power electrical generators as well as heat water. We can also use solar energy from the light the sun produces by having the photons strike an electrically conductive surface, like a silicon solar cell, to produce direct current electricity which can then be converted to alternating current for use in homes or businesses.
Solar energy was first used over 150 years ago when Auguste Mouchout successfully powered a steam engine using only the light from the sun. The use of solar energy was expanded to produce electricity in the mid-50s when Bell Laboratories invented the silicon solar cell, which converts sunlight into electric current.
There are many cost-effective uses for solar energy, especially in devices that require low power like calculators. Other uses include powering devices in remote applications such as remote sensing, roadside emergency telephones, traffic control, oil and gas flow monitoring, cathodic protection of pipelines, and some "off grid" home and remote cabin power applications. Another more extreme use is the ability of solar energy to provide power for orbiting satellites, spacecraft, and space stations.
Solar panels use solar energy to produce electricity for residential or business/commercial/industrial applications. This is also known as a "photovoltaic (or PV) system". They can be mounted to the roof of houses or commercial buildings. The most economic way to use electricity from solar energy is by connecting solar panels to the main electric utility grid. This is known as a grid tie solar power system. In this arrangement, excess power generated by the solar energy system is directed onto the power grid causing the electric meter to run backwards and saving the solar power system owner money. However, solar energy produced by a photovoltaic system may also be used to charge batteries or other energy storage devices. This includes cell phone chargers, radios, lighting and more.
According to Wikipedia:
Declining manufacturing costs (dropping at 3 to 5% a year in recent years) are expanding the range of cost-effective uses. The average lowest retail cost of a large photovoltaic array declined from $7.50 to $4 per watt between 1990 and 2005. With many jurisdictions now giving tax and rebate incentives, solar electric power can now pay for itself in five to ten years in many places. "Grid-connected" systems - those systems that use an inverter to connect to the utility grid instead of relying on batteries - now make up the largest part of the market.
In 2003, worldwide production of solar cells increased by 32%. Between 2000 and 2004, the increase in worldwide solar energy capacity was an annualized 60%. 2005 was expected to see large growth again, but shortages of refined silicon have been hampering production worldwide since late 2004. Analysts have predicted similar supply problems for 2006 and 2007.
But the use of solar energy in many forms is sure to continue growing as fossil fuel energy, including that derived from crude oil, natural gas and coal, begins to enter production declines with oil leading the way beginning back in 2005.
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