An Introduction to Solar Energy

With the increasing cost due to depletion of fossil fuels and the damage to the environment by using them, Solar Energy the need for renewable sources of fuel have never been more apparent. One such alternative is solar energy.

Solar energy is processed using the suns rays and is used quite effectively to heat water and generate electricity. It is clean renewable free source of energy.

Solar Energy

The sun creates its energy through a thermonuclear process that converts about 650,000,000 tons of hydrogen to helium every second.

The worlds energy needs can quite easily receive most of its power from solar energy. It’s free, clean and as a renewable source is also very efficient. Solar energy requires two components to generate electricity. They are a collector or solar cells which are normally placed on the top of a property and a storage unit. The collector processes the energy from the sun and converts it into electricity and the storage unit stores the electricity for use when solar energy is minimal such as night time. Methods of collecting and storing solar energy vary depending on the uses planned for the solar generator.

Solar energy is used to great effect to heat domestic homes with the demand increasing as fossil fuels cost rise annually. Heating water is the second largest energy use in typical households.

In Ireland solar water heating systems as Solar Panels are a very cost effective way to generate hot water