How Solar energy is stored and tell me the whole process.?
Question:
Answer:
Plants use solar energy to make their food by photosynthesis. They store the sun's energy in the form of carbohydrates.
Solar cells work on fuel cells where they convert the sun's light energy to chemical energy which is to be changed into electrical energy at a future date.
The term solar power is used to describe a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the Sun. It has been present in many traditional building methods for centuries, but has become of increasing interest in developed countries as the environmental costs and limited supply of other power sources such as fossil fuels are realized. It is already in widespread use where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote locations and in space.
A wide range of power technologies exist which can make use of the solar energy reaching Earth. These can be classified in a number of different ways.
Method of energy transformationSolar energy can be transformed for use elsewhere or utilised directly.
Direct solar power involves only one transformation into a usable form. For example:
* Sunlight hits a photovoltaic cell (also called a photoelectric cell) creating electricity.
* Sunlight hits the dark absorber surface of a solar thermal collector and the surface warms. The heat energy may be carried away by a fluid circuit.
* Sunlight strikes a solar sail on a space craft and is converted directly into a force on the sail which causes motion of the craft.
* Sunlight strikes a light mill and causes the vanes to rotate, although little practical application has yet been found for this effect.
* Sunlight is focused on an externally mounted reflective channel which conducts sunlight into building interiors to supplement lighting.
Indirect solar power involves more than one transformation to reach a usable form. Many other types of power generation are indirectly solar-powered. Some of these are so indirect that they are often excluded from discussion of solar power:
* Vegetation uses photosynthesis to convert solar energy to chemical energy, which can later be burned as fuel to generate electricity (see biofuel). Methane (natural gas) and hydrogen may be derived from the biofuel.
* Hydroelectric dams and wind turbines are powered by solar energy through its interaction with the Earth's atmosphere and the resulting weather phenomena.
* Ocean thermal energy production uses the thermal gradients that are present across ocean depths to generate power. These temperature differences are ultimately due to the energy of the sun.
* Energy obtained from oil, coal, and peat originated as solar energy captured by vegetation in the remote geological past and fossilised. Hence the term Fossil fuel. The great time delay between the input of the solar energy and its recovery means these are not practically renewable and therefore not normally classified as solar power. Solar heating systems are generally composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to move the heat from the collector to its point of usage, and a reservoir to stock the heat for subsequent use. The systems may be used to heat domestic hot water or a swimming pool, or to provide heat for a heating circuit (usually radiators or floor heating coils). The heat can also be used for industrial applications or as an energy input for other uses such as cooling equipment. In many climates, a solar heating system can provide a very high percentage (50 to 75%) of domestic hot water energy. In many northern European countries, combined hot water and space heating systems are used to provide 15 to 25% of home heating energy. Residential solar thermal installations can be subdivided in two kind of systems: compact and pumped systems. Both typically include an auxiliary energy source (electric heating element or connection to a gas or fuel oil central heating system) that is activated when the water in the tank falls below a minimum temperature setting such as 50 °C. Hence, hot water is always available.
You haven't told whether you would like to know how Solar energy is stored for generating electricity or how it is fixed by the Producers (green plants) for producing food. Anyway, I'll explain both the procedures:
FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY:
In generation of electricity, solar panels are used. The solar panels consists of minute sections called cells. These cells are composed mainly of Silicon and other impurities.
The efficiency of fixing sunlight depends mainly on the amount of Silicon used in making the cells. 100% pure Silicon is extremely difficult to obtain with the present technology and thus hinders the efficiency of fixing solar energy a great deal.
When sunlight strikes the the silicon cells, the silicon atoms becomes unstable and results in the generation of Silicon ions (Si+). Millions of such ions are generated and these ions are collected and stored in a battery which can be used for various purposes. Its a great way for cutting down on your electricity bills. And if you are on the green side, its a gaurentee for zero pollution.
FOR PRODUCING FOOD:
Producing food by plants is not a simple process as you must have learnt in your primary classes. It consists of 2 complex pathways known as Photosystem I and Photosystem II.
These pathways involves a number of factors and requires a number of ATP molecules, electron donors and acceptors, etc. For a detailed view of the steps involved in these 2 pathways and how and when they occur, please refer to the book, A Text Book on MICROBIOLOGY by PRESCOTT.
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