Compared to fossil fuels, which are the traditional sources of energy in the U.S., solar energy is the way to a cleaner, renewable, efficient, and more environmentally conscious future!
Solar energy is completely renewable — there is plenty of sunlight to go around. However, the reality is that fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource. Once the supply is gone, it’s gone until the Earth can produce more over the course of a few million years. Solar energy is also easily accessible — all that’s needed is direct sunlight. No mining or damaging Earth’s ecosystems is required.
EnergySage estimates that solar energy is also cheaper to use than fossil fuels, with the lowest price per kWh of fossil fuels sitting at $0.38/kWh compared to solar energy at $0.029/kWh.
But more importantly, solar energy doesn’t contribute to the harmful effects of climate change. When fossil fuels are burned, this creates CO2. This carbon dioxide gets stuck in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. Solar energy, on the other hand, emits no harmful greenhouse gases and is completely clean.
Solar energy is truly the energy source of the future because it’s completely clean, renewable, easy to access, and doesn’t harm the Earth’s atmosphere!
FAQ Categories: SOLAR ENERGY
The process by which a solar energy system powers your home is nothing short of amazing. There’s an impressive amount of technology taking place in every solar panel, which is a relatively small space. Most solar energy systems on residential and commercial structures are photovoltaic systems, which convert the sun’s rays with solar panels using the photovoltaic effect.
The photovoltaic effect looks something like this: sunlight hits a semiconductor within a solar panel, which is most often made of silicon. This causes electrons to be loosened, generating an electric current that is sent to wiring within the panel. This creates a direct current (DC), which is then converted with a solar converter to an alternating current (AC), which matches the currents found in U.S. electrical grids and common household electrical items and appliances.
Solar energy is a clean, renewable source of energy that harnesses particles of sunlight and turns them into usable energy to power homes and commercial structures across the world.
The photons from the sun’s rays, or the particles of light that reaches Earth, power natural processes on Earth — solar energy systems utilize solar panels and other methods to convert these particles into energy.