There are many types of renewable “green” technologies. These technologies include fuel cells, solar cells, wind power and electrolysis.
The Sun has about 6.5 billion years left before it collapses to a white dwarf star, so the heat and the light from the Sun can provide an essentially endless amount of energy. We can harness this energy in many ways, including concentrating solar power systems, passive solar heating and day lighting, photovoltaic systems, solar hot water, solar process heat, and space heating and cooling.
Use of Solar Energy
Solar power can be used for both large and small applications. Businesses and industry can diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money by choosing solar technologies. Home owners can use solar energy for heating and cooling, electricity, and water heating. Home owners can also use solar technologies to produce enough electricity to operate “off-grid” or to sell the extra electricity to the utilities, depending on local programs. There are many solar design strategies that can help both homes and commercial buildings operate more efficiently and make them more pleasant and comfortable places in which to live and work.
Beyond these localized uses of solar power, utilities and power plants are also taking advantage of the sun’s abundant energy resource and offering the benefits to their customers. Concentrating solar power systems allow power plants to produce electricity from the sun on a larger scale, which in turn allows consumers to take advantage of solar power without making the investment in personal solar technology systems.
Concentrating solar power systems (CSP)
Systems that use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to collect a wide array of sunlight into a small beam. The light beam can be used as a heat source for a traditional power plant. There are many types of concentrating technologies, such as the solar trough, solar power tower and the parabolic dish.
Solar power - educational science kits
Horizon Educational offers many products that allow you to see, measure and understand the power of the sun.
Power your car by sun