Solar Power

By: William JeongMrs. SchmidtPhysical Geography

What is Solar Power?

Solar Power – Conversion of sunlight into energy (electricity)

Solar thermal energy Panels reflect sunlight into a tower The sunlight is converted to heat

which boils the water. Steam turns the

turbines to generate electricity.

Where is our Solar Power? Harvesting solar power

is generally seen in 1st world countries and in areas where sunlight is abundant.

Generally more popular in suburban homes.

Solar power plants are slowly growing but coal and nuclear power plants are favorable due to its cheap price.

How does it affect life on Earth? It affects life on

Earth because it is a clean and renewable energy.

The sun produces more energy every hour than the entire energy needs of human civilization from the beginning of time.

Why are we hesitant to use Solar power? Competition is minimal (Solar power companies have monopolies, very expensive to install)

Government regulations will not allow house owners to install their own systems

Solar power is profitable only in high sunlight regions

Builders find that it is not profitable for them to spend excessive architectural fees on designs that are not mainstream and salable

It is inefficient. Solar panels can only convert 15% of the Sun’s energy.

In other words, it costs too much.

How can we solve this? The most natural solution is

time. With advancing technology,

installing and creating solar panels and factories will become cheaper and more efficient. Currently, solar panels can only convert 15% of the Sun's energy

As non-renewable energy, such as coal, becomes more scarce, there will be a greater demand for renewable resources.

It costs 5 times more to generate electricity from solar panels than from cheap dirty coals.

Statistics on electricity generation

  US1 Canada2

Coal 48.5% 24.9%

Natural Gas 21.6% 3.8%

Nuclear 19.4% 12.4%

Hydro 6.0% 58.7%

Petroleum 1.6% -

Wood 0.94% -

Wind 0.83% -

Biomass 0.40% -

Geothermal 0.35% -

Other Gases 0.32% -

Solar 0.01% -

Works Citedhttp://www.solarpowerinternational.com/2011/public/enter.aspxhttp://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/solar-power-international-2008-7513

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel

http://www.jc-solarhomes.com/solar_energy_facts.htm