Solar Energy

Solar energy is energy from the sun. When the sun is shining solar energy is being produced as it sends the heat radiating to the earth. You can find solar energy anywhere or anything that the sun can shine on.  There is a way that you can save the sunlight in order to provide energy when the sun is not shining.  Millions of people have done this throughout the years. 

The History of Solar Energy

It started thousands of years ago when people where able to use a thick lens or magnifying glass on an object that would attract the sun rays on that particular object and could get so hot it would catch fire.  This gave a new prospective on how strong the heat from the sun really was.

The problem with capturing the suns heat is the fact that when it reaches the earths surface it does not go to one particular spot.  It is spread evenly over the earth where the sunlight is able to reach.  Although the area or object may be hot if left in the sun too long it will not reach the full heating potential of the sun's light. When this happens you may find it difficult to heat something using only the sunlight

In order to use the solar energy efficiently after the sun goes down or when it is cloudy you will need to use a source that will attract the heat to one particular area.  This source is called a solar collector. 

Capturing and Using Solar Energy

The solar collector attracts a large amount of sunlight to one particular area.  The collector space then collects the suns energy by absorbing and holding the heat from the sunlight and trapping it so it will not get back out. Glass is a great solar collector because it allows the sun to pass through it but the heat from the sun can rarely escape leaving the space under the glass to become warm or hot from the heat.

Because glass is a natural solar collector it makes it great to put into a greenhouse or a sun room.  The glass attracts the sunlight and traps the heat inside so that they temperature in the greenhouse or sun room remain warm even at night when the temperature outside may be cold.  This is an excellent example of how solar energy can be harnessed and used.

There are ways to capture solar energy on both large and small scales using a solar collector.  Solar power can be used in any way that other energy is used, from home heating to powering a vehicle or on a smaller scale it can power calculators and flashlights.

Solar energy can be found anywhere the sun shines but in order to use it to provide energy it must be captured and stored.  Through technological advances this can be done easier now than ever before.  Solar energy is being used to heat homes, heat water, provide lighting and power almost anything that needs power.