How Solar Energy Works

in #art8 years ago

Solar energy—power from the sun—is a vast, inexhaustible, and clean resource

Solar electricity generation represents a clean alternative to electricity from fossil fuels, with no air and water pollution, no global warming pollution, no risks of electricity price spikes, and no threats to our public health.

The Solar Resource

The solar resource is enormous. Just 18 days of sunshine on Earth contains the same amount of energy as is stored in all of the planet's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas.

How solar panels work

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are based on a high-tech but remarkably simple technology that converts sunlight directly to electricity.

Rooftop solar panels: Benefits, costs, and smart policies

Rooftop solar has never been more affordable for home owners, business owners, and their communities.

Solar power plants: Large-scale PV

A large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant may have hundreds of thousands or even millions of solar panels.

Concentrating solar power plants

Unlike photovoltaic (PV) systems, which use the sun’s light to generate electricity, concentrating solar power systems generate electricity using the sun’s heat.

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no air and water pollution... no threats to our public health

Solar is fantastic and is going to be a great way to generate power and remove fossil fuels. However, please don't spread misinformation in an attempt to make it sound more appealing, you will just tank your entire argument by incorrect statements.

There are pollution risks and health risks from solar, and they are entirely from the mining, manufacturing, and disposal side. Solar cells do not just appear out of nowhere; the materials that go into them must be extracted, refined, and then used in production. If we take a look at this we can see that there are a number of rare-earth elements, poisonous elements, and elements which require a lot of damage to the ecosystem to extract.

All of the steps in this process cause pollution to one degree or another and can leave areas where it is unhealthy to live due to environmental damage. Further, the disposal of solar panels will either result in them being dumped, breaking down, and leaching certain elements into the environment; or will require recycling which just like manufacturing will also produce some level of pollution.

All of this will be orders of magnitude less than the harm that fossil fuels cause; but it isn't some panacea and it should be recognized as such.

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