A Question About Solar Energy?
Question:
Answer:
This is my favorite solar site http://www.builditsolar.com
You can get all the information you need, plus they have more solar projects and plans than any other site I have found. They have tons of free plans so there is no excuse for not building solar!
Solar energy is renewable, but takes a lot more time to produce the same amount of energy that oil does. Solar energy can only be used on clear days, unless you're on a satelite or something.
Try http://science.discovery.com/search/resu...
or
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2001/fyi/l...
or
http://www.solargenix.com/company.cfm...
(the best)
well i just did a project on solar energy and it would be very efficient in some places because they use it now, but not as efficient as other kinds of energy because some places don't have a lot of sun and stuff so other forms are more efficient.
One type of solar energy is from solar panels, they are approximately 20-30% efficient. As sunlight on the Earth provides around 1500 Watts per meter squared (A Watt being 1 Joule per second), a 1 meter square panel will provide up to 500 Watts of energy. That's enough for 8 light bulbs.
Another type of solar energy is where you use sunlight to heat water, this can be 50-95% efficient, depending on how well you design your system. Typically a piece of guttering is run back and forth on a slanted board so that as the water runs down it is heated by the sunlight.
By comparison, car burning petrol (gas if your American) will be at best 30% efficient. Coal fired power stations are a little bit better at around 35%.
The problem is, the sun doesn't always shine when you need it to, and solar panels are expensive, so fossile fuels can still work out cheaper (and usually do) per Watt of energy.
it's 100% efficient compared to fossil fuels but not always practical.
More Questions & Answers...