Powered
Solar power (also known as solar energy) is a source of energy that uses radiation emitted by the Sun. It is a renewable energy source that has been used in many traditional technologies for centuries. more...
 Home
Car Alarms & Security
Car Amplifiers
Car Audio In-Dash Units
Car CD Changers
Car Electronics
Car Electronics Parts &...
Car GPS Devices
Car Installation Products
Car Portable Appliances
Car Radar, Laser Detectors
Car Signal Processors
Car Speakers & Speaker...
Car Subwoofers & Enclosures
 Car Subwoofers
Enclosed Subwoofer Systems
 Powered
Unpowered
Enclosures
Car Video & Navigation
Other Car Electronics
Wholesale Car Audio Lots
It is also in widespread use where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote locations and in space.
Solar energy is currently used in a number of applications:
Heat (hot water, building heat, cooking);
Electricity generation (photovoltaics, heat engines);
Transportation (solar car);
Desalination of seawater;
Photosynthesis by plants;
Energy from the Sun
Solar radiation reaches the Earth's upper atmosphere at a rate of 1366 watts per square meter (W/m2). The first map shows how the solar energy varies in different latitudes.
While traveling through the atmosphere, 6% of the incoming solar radiation (insolation) is reflected and 16% is absorbed resulting in a peak irradiance at the equator of 1,020 W/m². Average atmospheric conditions (clouds, dust, pollutants) further reduce insolation by 20% through reflection and 3% through absorption. Atmospheric conditions not only reduce the quantity of insolation reaching the Earth's surface but also affect the quality of insolation by diffusing incoming light and altering its spectrum.
The second map shows the average global irradiance calculated from satellite data collected from 1991 to 1993. For example, in North America the average insolation at ground level over an entire year (including nights and periods of cloudy weather) lies between 125 and 375 W/m² (3 to 9 kWh/m²/day). This represents the available power, and not the delivered power. At present, photovoltaic panels typically convert about 15% of incident sunlight into electricity; therefore, a solar panel in the contiguous United States on average delivers 19 to 56 W/m² or 0.45 - 1.35 kWh/m²/day.
The dark disks in the third map on the right are an example of the land areas that, if covered with 8% efficient solar panels, would produce slightly more energy in the form of electricity than the total world primary energy supply in 2003. While average insolation and power offer insight into solar power's potential on a regional scale, locally relevant conditions are of primary importance to the potential of a specific site.
After passing through the Earth's atmosphere, most of the sun's energy is in the form of visible and infrared radiation. Plants use solar energy to create chemical energy through photosynthesis. Humans regularly use this energy burning wood or fossil fuels, or when simply eating the plants.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
|
