How is Solar Energy Used- Different Ways to Incorporate Solar Power

How is solar energy used?  Solar energy refers to radiant heat and light from the sun that is used for a wide variety of applications.  From solar thermal heat pumps to solar power plants that provide electricity to thousands of homes, solar energy can be used in many different ways! A few of the uses for solar energy include:

  • Photovoltaic (PV) or Solar Cells
  • Solar Heating applications
  • Solar Power Plants
  • Photovoltaic Applications

When most people think of solar energy, they often think of photovoltaic cells.  A photovoltaic cell is a device that captures energy from the sun and converts it into electricity.  Photovoltaic cells are place together on solar panels or PV panels. The solar panels can be used individually for applications that need small amounts of power.

You’ve probably seen various road signs powered by a single solar panel.  Many other devices have come on the market in recent years that take advantage of small solar panels to provide electricity.  These include solar powered battery chargers or solar paneled backpacks that can be used for powering laptops.

On the other hand, solar panels can be used together to provide electricity to more power intensive applications such as buildings.  When placed together, solar panels form what’s called a solar array and is just another example of how is solar energy used. Photovoltaic applications have gained much popularity in recent years as the public has taken more of an interest in environmentally sound practices.

Solar Heating Applications

We all know the sun is very hot.  But is there a way to capture some of that heat and use it to warm up things we use in our everyday lives?  You bet! There are two types of solar thermal applications.  Active solar thermal systems require a collector to absorb and collect solar radiation.   Fans or pumps are used to circulate the heated air or heat absorbing fluid.

Active systems often include some type of energy storage system. On the other hand, passive solar thermal systems involve a very minimal use of pumps or fans to distribute heat.  Passive solar heating harnesses natural heat and light from the sun, using basic building elements, such as walls, windows, floors and roofs, to control the amount of the sun’s energy that is absorbed or lost in a building.

High efficiency windows, insulation, stone floor tiles, extra layers of gypsum wallboard, and sunspaces are building elements that can be incorporated into buildings to collect heat and slowly release it – a great way to use passive solar thermal systems in a building! One of the most popular solar heating applications is solar water heaters.

The idea behind the water heaters is to minimize the amount of electricity needed to heat the water.  This is done by using free heat from the sun.  Solar heat can also be used to treat water for potable use.  This is especially important in developing countries where access to clean water and consistent electricity is limited. Additional uses of solar heat include solar furnaces, solar ponds, and solar cooking.  You can expect to see more solar thermal applications come into play in the next few years as this technology becomes further developed.

Solar Power Plants

How is solar energy used for those with massive heating and power situations?  This where the concept of solar power plant comes into play.  Most of us are aware of the concept of a power plant whether it be at a local campus level, or a large power plant that serves an entire region.  However most power plants use fossil fuels to generate electricity or heat.

Solar power plants take advantage of the sun to provide us with the power and heat we need. There are two types of solar power plants.  The first type involves solar thermal power.  Solar thermal power plants use the sun’s rays to heat a fluid, from which heat transfer systems may be used to produce steam. The steam, in turn, is converted into mechanical energy in a turbine and into electricity from a conventional generator coupled to the turbine.

Solar thermal power generation works essentially the same as generation from fossil fuels except that instead of using steam produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, the steam is produced by the heat collected from sunlight. Solar thermal technologies use concentrator systems due to the high temperatures needed to heat the fluid.

The three main types of solar-thermal power systems are: parabolic troughs, solar dish plants and solar tower systems. The second type of solar power plant involves using a very large system of solar arrays to capture energy from the sun and convert it into solar power.  Many regions around the world have set up these large array systems to provide power for entire communities!