Solar energy use options in economic activity

The energy of the sun is a stream of photons and is of great importance for all life on our planet. The sun ensures the existence of life on Earth, influencing the fundamental processes in the biosphere. Thanks to the sun, seas, rivers, the surface of the planet are heated, the wind blows and so on. Man has long begun to use the light from the sun in his economic activities. But alternative energy took shape as an independent industry not so long ago. Meanwhile, solar energy plays an increasingly important role in economic activity. The sun has been used as a source of heat for a long time, and recently a large number of devices and systems have appeared for this. Today we will talk about how humans use solar energy.

The use of solar energy is increasing every year. Not so long ago, the energy of the sun was used to heat water in the country in a summer shower. Today various settings are already used for heating private houses, in cooling towers. Solar panels generate the electricity needed to power small villages.

At the moment, the following areas of use of solar energy can be named:

• Aviation and space industry;
• Agriculture. Heating and electricity supply for greenhouses, hangars and other outbuildings;
• Household use (heating and electrification of residential buildings);
• Power supply for medical and sports facilities;
• The use of solar energy to illuminate urban objects;
• Electrification of small settlements.

The use of the first samples of solar modules has confirmed that solar energy has significant advantages over traditional sources. The main advantages of solar systems are an almost unlimited supply, no harm to the environment, and free use.

This list of pluses is worth expanding:

• Stable power supply, since the current from solar cells does not have voltage surges;
• Autonomous operation of solar systems. They do not require external infrastructure;
• Service life over 20 years;
• Solar systems are practical and easy to use. The main investments are made during installation.

The disadvantages include the strong dependence of work efficiency on the intensity of the sun's rays and the lack of electricity generation at night. To solve this problem, such systems work in conjunction with batteries.

Features of the use of solar energy

The photoenergy of radiation from the sun is converted into photovoltaic cells. It is a two-layer structure consisting of 2 semiconductors of different types. The semiconductor at the bottom is p-type and the top is n-type. The first has a lack of electrons, and the second has an excess.

The electrons of an n-type semiconductor absorb solar radiation, causing the electrons in it to go out of orbit. The strength of the pulse is sufficient for the transition to a p-type semiconductor. The result is a directed electron flow and electricity is generated. Silicon is used in the production of solar cells.

Today, several types of photocells are produced:

• Monocrystalline. They are produced from silicon monocrystals and have a uniform crystal structure. Among other types, they stand out for the highest efficiency (about 20 percent) and increased cost;
• Polycrystalline. The structure is polycrystalline, less uniform. They are cheaper and have an efficiency of 15 to 18 percent;
• Thin film. These photocells are made by sputtering on a flexible amorphous silicon substrate. Such solar cells are the cheapest, but their efficiency leaves much to be desired. They are used in production.

How does a person use solar energy?

There are two groups of systems that are used by humans to convert the sun's energy into thermal and electrical energy. These are passive and active systems.

Examples of passive systems for harnessing solar energy include some structures. During their construction, building materials were used that have a high absorption of light radiation. Moreover, these buildings are being erected taking into account the peculiarities of the climate in which they are built. The materials from which these houses are built use the energy of the sun to illuminate and heat the premises in the building. In particular, these are wooden floors, light-absorbing panels, insulation, house orientation to the south.

Thanks to their design, passive systems achieve the most beneficial use of light energy. As a result, by reducing utility costs, such houses quickly pay for themselves. These buildings are energy independent and do not pollute the environment.

Active systems are solar collectors, batteries and other devices that provide electrification, etc. They are often installed on roofs and facades of buildings. The use of active systems is much more widespread than passive ones. Below are some of them.

Heat collectors

These devices use radiation from the sun to convert it into heat. The following main types of collectors can be distinguished:

Flat. They are the most common. They are used for both heating and hot water supply. Typically, such collectors are used only in the summer, since in winter their efficiency drops sharply. You can read about the manufacture of these at the link;

• Vacuum. The scope of their use is the same as that of flat ones. But they are used when hot water of a higher temperature is required. In them, the tubes of the heat exchanger are in a vacuum inside the glass tubes. The coolant circulates inside. As a rule, such installations are made in production, and not at home. They function all year round, even in the Russian climate;
• Air. The scope of use of such devices is air heating and dehumidification plants. Can be used at outdoor temperatures not lower than 5-10 degrees Celsius;
• Integrated manifolds. The simplest design. These are special tanks with thermal insulation, where water is heated. In the future, it is used for household needs.

In most cases, all these units are installed on roofs or facades of buildings. Sometimes a site is allocated for them, where there is maximum sunlight.

The sun is one of the safest and most inexhaustible sources of energy. Its competent use is a matter of environmental safety and economic efficiency of any industry or country. An energy source such as the sun has a number of significant advantages over others, popular. It will not go out and can give a person great amount kilowatt hours, it is environmentally friendly and economical, the Sun is available to every corner of the Earth and is capable of preserving natural resources depleted with every tree cut down and every kilogram of coal mined.

Solar energy is recoverable, that is, it can exist without human intervention in nature, unlike atomic energy, the sun cannot harm the environment and preserves the purity of forests and rivers in their original form.

Examples of using

Pick up an ordinary solar-powered one - this is the most elementary example of using solar energy and converting it into electrical energy, dark surfaces are able to effectively absorb rays and use the energy of the sun, converting it into heat. Special technologies, which are advanced advances in science and technology, have long been used to collect and store solar energy, which has successfully replaced gasoline in cars, and heated and illuminated homes.

The use of the geographical features of the location of certain buildings, coupled with modern materials, allows mankind to completely switch to the energy of sunlight, while all modern facilities communications: television, internet and other amenities will continue to function as usual. Such buildings are environmentally friendly and highly efficient.

Special elements that convert solar energy are successfully used in space technologies, modern satellites and space stations equipped with special batteries powered by the rays of the common luminary. Solar energy is very convenient to use and is available even in the wildest and most remote corners of the world, where communications and power lines are very difficult or impossible.

The use of electrical energy in its pure form is not always convenient, which is why many systems use mixed sources of electricity, combining the sun and traditional forms of energy.

1. Every second the Earth receives 170 billion watts from solar flares

The sun generates a tremendous amount of energy. Thanks to her, vital processes occur on Earth, like the water cycle. More than 170 billion watts of solar energy "crashes" into the earth's atmosphere every second.
To compare these incredible proportions, imagine that the average smartphone consumes about two thousand watts per year. The sun is sending a billion times more energy into the atmosphere every second!
Not all of the solar energy that reaches the atmosphere reaches the Earth's surface. The atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of the energy back into space, while clouds also reflect and absorb energy.
In fact, only 50% of the solar energy passes through the atmosphere and reaches the Earth's surface. And this is very good, because if the surface of the Earth reached 100 percent of the solar energy, then our life would be radically different from the present.

2. When we eat fruits and vegetables, we get calories from the Sun

Plants can also tell us some pretty interesting facts about solar energy. For example, we use them without even knowing that plants are another source of solar energy. It turns out that solar energy plays a very important role in the process of photosynthesis, generating the oxygen we need.
The chemical reaction of photosynthesis converts air, water, and other nutrients so that plants, flowers, and tree leaves can grow. When we eat fruits and vegetables, we are consuming calories that were created by the energy of the sun. So when we eat vegetables, we actually get energy from the sun. This is one of the amazing solar energy facts that tells us that we are using solar energy even when we are not aware of it.
People eat meat from animals, which in turn eat food made from plants. The energy that we get by eating meat comes from the energy that "accumulates" in animals from plants. This is another amazing fact about solar energy - even when we eat meat, we receive energy from the sun.

3. Vitamin D is created in our body through solar energy

Humans, like plants, also use solar energy as vitamins.
But unlike plants, we are not so dependent on this energy. However, our body needs solar energy to carry out various chemical processes. For example, to produce vitamin D in the body.
Human skin contains a certain type of cholesterol that converts a pre-type vitamin into vitamin D, which protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation. Previously, the "vitamin preparation", when exposed to ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, enters the liver, which ultimately produces vitamin D, which is so necessary for the body.

4. The first solar power plant was built in 1912

Solar energy participates in the water cycle in nature. The sun heats the water on Earth, and this causes evaporation, which converts into precipitation in the form of rain or snow.
When water and other liquids are heated by solar energy, they undergo changes and turn into gas. For water, this gas is vapor. As early as 1897, Frank Schumann created a system that uses the energy of the sun to propel a small motor. His later systems improved and used water to power a full-size steam engine.
In 1912 Schumann patented his system and built the first solar power plant in Egypt. This is one of the most important facts in the history of solar energy use. The Schumann power plant was capable of generating 45-52 kilowatts, and was the first large-scale commercial use of solar energy. This is a small scale by today's standards, but it gave rise to the widespread use of solar energy. This fact inspired future inventors to move on.

Solar thermal energy is a type of technology that is capable of heating water and then using its changes to power a machine. Schumann turned out to be a visionary who showed everyone that solar energy can be used when the reserves of coal and oil are depleted on Earth.

5. A cool drink on a hot day is passive solar technology

There are two main types of technologies used to capture and harness solar energy: active and passive.
Active solar technologies like solar panels collect solar energy and convert it into electrical energy. Active solar technology supplies energy for its use.
Passive solar technology aims to reduce the use of energy from other sources. It can be something simple. For example, the roof of a house with a special reflective coating to reduce the amount of incoming energy. This is necessary to keep the house cool in summer. Passive solar technologies work by reducing the amount of energy. Even a cool drink on a hot day is a type of passive solar technology.

6. Solar panels use photons to create excitons and electron fields

When people think of solar energy, they often think of solar panels. These panels contain "solar cells", also known as photovoltaic cells, which cause the photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaic effect is the tendency of certain materials to be excited by photons in solar energy. Different materials have different properties when excited by the energy of the sun.
Also, special materials are used to make solar cells generate excitons in an excited state. The presence of the latter causes a flow of electrons. Later, with the help of a solar battery, this flow is converted into electricity, which we consume.
The first solar panels could not convert solar energy into electricity. They were only 1-2% efficient, while modern batteries in laboratories are 40% more efficient.

7. Solar energy can purify water using UV radiation

Another amazing fact about solar energy is that it can be used to purify water. This property of solar energy was already known to the ancient Greeks, and was also practiced by Persian alchemists in the 1500s.
The process of purifying salt water using solar energy is called solar desalination. There is another way that uses solar energy to purify water called solar distillation. Solar distillation removes many types of contaminants from water. An example is the standard cycle of the water cycle in nature.
As a miniature example, you can take a cardboard box and place it over a hole previously dug in wet soil. The water that, when evaporated, ends up on the surface of the box, will be clean and drinkable.
Another option for water purification is ultraviolet radiation. It is harmful to many microbes and bacteria.

8. Solar energy is the only source of renewable energy

Solar energy is life-giving for everything that surrounds us. If people switch to solar powered sources, the use of the electrical grid will be significantly reduced. The fact is that the power supply is supplied by the burning of coal. And this process contributes to climate change, which leads to global warming.
Solar energy is one of the best sources of renewable energy. Some argue that it is the only source of its kind. Much of the infrastructure in the developed world is built on fossil fuels. Therefore, the transition to the use of solar energy as the main source of energy will require significant efforts.
The economic benefits of using solar energy are clear. Fuel prices are increasing and the cost of making more efficient solar panels is decreasing.

9. Gravitational energy from the Sun is holding the solar system

Perhaps the most mysterious of the solar energy facts relates to the gravity that the sun emits. Thanks to gravity, all planets and other objects maintain their orbits in the solar system.
Gravitational energy is one of the least studied forces in the universe. While the Sun emits light and solar energy to the Earth, it also pulls the Earth towards itself with its gravitational field.
If you think about it, it turns out that solar energy is responsible for more than just the water cycles that fuel life on Earth. Solar energy created the conditions for life on Earth when the solar system was just formed.

Solar energy is becoming more and more important in the life of mankind. Scientists see it as renewable energy sources that do not harm the environment, as well as great benefits for human health.

The sun is one of the renewable alternative energy sources. Today, alternative heat sources are widely used in the agricultural sector and in the household needs of the population.

The use of the sun's energy on earth plays an important role in human life. With the help of its heat, the sun, as a source of energy, heats up the entire surface of our planet. Thanks to its thermal power, winds blow, seas, rivers, lakes are heated, all life on earth exists.

Renewable heat sources began to be used by people many years ago, when modern technologies did not exist yet. The sun is the most affordable heat energy supplier on earth today.

Applications of solar energy

Every year the use of solar energy is gaining more and more popularity. A few years ago, it was used to heat water for country houses, summer showers, and now renewable heat sources are used to generate electricity and hot water supply for residential buildings and industrial facilities.

Today, renewable heat sources are used in the following areas:

• in the agricultural sector, for the purpose of supplying electricity and heating greenhouses, hangars and other buildings;
• for power supply of sports facilities and medical institutions;
• in the aviation and space industry;
• in the lighting of streets, parks, as well as other urban objects;
• for the electrification of settlements;
• for heating, power supply and hot water supply of residential buildings;
• for household needs.

Application features

The light that the sun emits on the earth is converted into thermal energy with the help of passive as well as active systems. Passive systems include buildings, in the construction of which such building materials are used that most efficiently absorb the energy of solar radiation. In turn, active systems include collectors that convert solar radiation into energy, as well as solar cells that convert it into electricity. Let's take a closer look at how to properly use renewable heat sources.

Passive systems

These systems include solar buildings. These are buildings built taking into account all the features of the local climatic zone. For their construction, such materials are used that make it possible to maximize the use of all thermal energy for heating, cooling, lighting residential and industrial premises. These include the following building technologies and materials: insulation, wooden floors, light-absorbing surfaces, and the building's orientation to the south.

Such solar systems make it possible to maximize the use of solar energy, moreover, they quickly recoup the costs of their construction by reducing energy costs. They are environmentally friendly and also allow you to create energy independence. It is because of this that the use of such technologies is very promising.

Active systems

This group includes collectors, accumulators, pumps, pipelines for heat supply and hot water supply in everyday life. The first ones are installed directly on the roofs of houses, and the rest are located in basements in order to use them for hot water supply and heating.

Solar photovoltaic cells

In order to more efficiently realize all the solar energy, such solar energy sources as solar cells, or as they are also called, solar cells, are used. On their surface, they have semiconductors, which, when exposed to the rays of the sun, begin to move, and thereby generate an electric current. This principle of generating current does not contain any chemical reactions, which allows the photocells to work for a long time.

Photovoltaic converters such as solar energy sources are easy to use because they are lightweight, easy to maintain, and very efficient in using solar power.

Today, solar panels, as a source of solar energy on earth, are used to generate hot water supply, heating and to generate electricity in warm countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Asia. In our region, the solar energy source is used to supply electricity to autonomous power supply systems, low-power electronics and aircraft drives.

Solar collectors

The use of solar energy by collectors is that they convert radiation into heat. They are divided into the following main groups:

• Flat solar collectors. They are the most common. It is convenient to use them for domestic heating needs, as well as for heating water for hot water supply;
• Vacuum collectors. They are used for domestic needs when high temperature water is needed. They consist of several glass tubes, passing through which the rays of the sun heat them, and they, in turn, give off heat to the water;
• Air solar collectors. They are used for air heating, air mass recovery and for drying plants;
• Integrated manifolds. The simplest models. They are used for preheating water, for example, for gas boilers. In everyday life, the heated water is collected in a special tank - accumulators and is then used for various needs.

The use of solar energy by collectors is carried out by storing it in so-called modules. They are installed on the roof of buildings and consist of glass tubes and plates, which are painted black to absorb more sunlight.

Solar collectors are used to heat water for hot water supply and heating residential buildings.

Benefits of solar installations

• they are completely free and inexhaustible;
• have complete safety in use;
• autonomous;
• economical, since the expenditure of funds is carried out only for the purchase of equipment for installations;
• their use guarantees the absence of voltage surges, as well as stability in the power supply;
• durable;
• easy to use and maintain.

The use of solar energy with the help of such installations is gaining popularity every year. Solar panels make it possible to save a lot of money on heating and hot water supply, moreover, they are environmentally friendly and do not harm human health.

The sun is a gigantic luminous source of radiation that continuously sends enormous amounts of energy towards the earth. Life on Earth would be impossible without solar heat and light. Thanks to solar energy, the circulation of air and water takes place, the processes of photosynthesis in plants take place, and oxygen is released.

How to use the energy of the sun?

To obtain energy, mankind basically empties the reserves of coal, oil and gas, which are decreasing every day. The use of atomic energy carries enormous risks and poses an enormous threat to the environment. Therefore, scientists from all countries of the world are working on increasing the use of solar energy on Earth.

Rice. 1. The sun is luminous.

Solar radiation reaches the Earth in just 480 seconds.

How much energy can you get from the sun?

The sun sends 20 million exajoules (EJ) a year towards the Earth. 1 EJ = 10 18 J. Approximately 25% is supplied to the Earth. Of this energy, 70% is absorbed by the atmosphere, reflected and lost. 1.54 million exajoules per year come directly to the surface of the Earth. This value is 5 times greater than the entire energy reserve of hydrocarbon fuels (coal, oil, gas) accumulated on the Earth over millions of years. Most of the energy on the surface of our planet is converted to heat. Heat heats the earth, water and air. A small part of the incoming energy is spent on this. For example, plants consume only 0.5% of the incoming solar energy. Thus, the energy reserves that humanity can use instead of burning hydrocarbons are truly limitless.

Examples of using the energy of the Sun on Earth

The simplest example of the use of solar energy is an outdoor shower in the country, in which the water is heated by the sun. Solar energy is used today in such spheres of life as:

• Power supply of private houses, boarding houses, sanatoriums;
• Power supply of settlements located far from urban infrastructure;
• Agriculture;
• Cosmonautics;
• Ecotourism;
• Street lighting, decorative lighting in summer cottages;
• Housing and utilities;
• Chargers (charging calculators, watches, mobile gadgets).

Until recently, these technologies were used only in the military sphere and astronautics. With the help of solar-powered photocells, satellites and ground-based special objects were supplied with energy.

Rice. 2. Spacecraft with solar panels.

Now solar energy has begun to be used in everyday life and industrial production. Today you can often find solar systems in the southern regions. Most often they are used in the private sector, as well as in the small tourism business (sanatoriums, holiday homes, etc.).

How solar energy is used today

The energy of solar radiation is converted on Earth into thermal and electrical energy using passive and active systems. Passive systems include buildings, during the construction of which building materials are used that effectively absorb the energy of solar radiation. In turn, active systems include thermal collectors that convert solar radiation into energy, as well as solar cells that convert it into electricity.

Solar panels

Semiconductor elements (silicon wafers, Si) generate an electric current when exposed to sunlight, thanks to the photo effect discovered by Albert Einstein. A set of a large number of solar cell plates forms a solar cell. Such photovoltaic converters are easy to use because they are lightweight, easy to maintain, and are quite effective as solar power converters. Work on increasing the efficiency (efficiency) of solar panels is ongoing. If in the middle of the last century their efficiency was 1%, now it reaches 15%.

Rice. 3. Solar panels on rooftops or on the ground.

By 2020, China plans to place a solar power plant in space.

What have we learned?

So, we learned how, with the help of passive and active systems, the energy of solar radiation is converted into thermal and electrical energy. Solar cells based on semiconductor cells make it possible to create environmentally friendly power plants, especially in regions with a lot of sunny days. On the basis of this information, it is possible to prepare a report “The use of the energy of the Sun on Earth”. For the presentation of a report in the classroom, you can demonstrate the operation of a photocell, for example, using a photoexposure meter.

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