What is solar energy and how is it created?
The rays of the sun contain enough energy to power the appliances in our homes and the energy produced from the sun, called solar energy has become a more sustainable alternative worldwide. As seasons change throughout the year, sunlight received at different geographic locations vary which coincides with the amount of solar power created. This is also influenced by time of day, the local landscape, and season, and local weather. [1] There are two kinds of solar energy – one which is produced by photovoltaic cells (commonly known as solar cells) which is the most typical and used by solar panels and concentrating power which is used in large power plants. [2] You most likely have seen solar panels on a home or perhaps even a solar energy farm. But how is this energy produced? First the sun’s rays are “converted from sunlight to direct current energy”. [3] Then, the “inverter converts direct current into alternating current.”[3] After all of this, the power is sent to the appliances and lights inside the home. What makes this power source sustainable is that any extra energy produced can be fed back to the energy grid – or even the rest of the neighborhood. It is common for homeowners to sell leftover energy back to energy companies as well. The video below provided illustrates how photovoltaic material converts sunlight into energy. As you will see, each device is just a small “cell” connected together to form the large panels that we are familiar with.[2]
