Moving into the future, scientists are trying to come up with alternative fuel and energy sources. They have been looking for renewable resources that will not harm the environment. As many people may know, solar energy is a form of this renewable energy. Renewable energy includes Biofuel, Biomass, Geothermal, Hydroelectricity, Solar energy, Tidal power, Wave power, and Wind power. All of these types of energy come from natural resources, and are becoming more popular.
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. There are two ways sunlight can be converted into electricity. First, it can be directly converted using photovoltaics. This method generates electrical power using solar panels and solar cells, which is the more popular of the two methods. These panels are usually made out of silicon. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity by absorbing photons of light. The photons will "knock electrons loose in an electrical circuit." Loose electrons will look for atoms to bond with and create electric current. Solar cells are semiconductors and are made of material with one positive and one negative side. The solar panels produce DC electricity as soon as the sunlight hits it. The system then sends the DC electricity to a device called an Inverter, which converts the DC power to AC power. AC power runs everything in your house, and buildings, including your TV and microwave. Solar power is a growing energy source, and maybe one day, it will replace all of the nonrenewable energy resources.
I chose this topic because my dad works for a solar company. Personally, I thought that was very cool and wanted to learn more about it. Also, President Obama will be installing solar panels on the White House. These panels should be up by spring 2011. I think solar energy and solar power is a great topic and people should learn more about it.
EP
Resources:
David Pannullo
Wikipedia
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20101005here_comes_the_sun_white_house_to_go_solar/srvc=news&position=recent_bullet
Picture:
http://www.solarpanelsforrv.com/images/solar-panels.jpg
