If we burn every ounce of fossil fuel we collected this year, the sun will have produced an estimated 1,000 times the amount of energy produced by burning the fossil fuel.

Solar energy is by far the most abundant energy on the planet, today we have the technology available that will allow us to tap in to a greater portion of solar energy then we have ever been capable of before.

Because solar energy does not need to be explored, extracted, transported or combusted it is the cleanest source of energy. Solar power is a completely sustainable energy, because we will be able to rely on solar power until we no longer have a sun.

There are many different types of solar energy, solar power has been used to heat water for thousands of years, it has just been within the last twenty years that we have really made great strides in solar technology.  Solar panels are becoming more and more efficient at capturing light and converting it to energy.

There are many different types of solar panels, but most photovoltaic cells work the same as they all use silicon, however the major breakthroughs of late have been primarily  focused on the efficiency of collecting and using light.

In Rome bath houses were built with windows facing the south so the sun could heat the water inside. Solar power is responsible for the creation of glass windows, Pliny the Younger discovered that glass was ideal to let the sun heat a room while keeping the cold air outside. In today’s world we use solar energy to heat our pools as well as power our homes, and charge our car batteries.

Passive Solar

Passive solar is used to create direct gain, indirect gain and insolated gain, there are many different materials used to accomplish this. For example dark tile will hold heat during the day and release it during cooler evenings, distribution allows air flow, and controlling the outside environment with an overhanging roof or even a deciduous tree. The tree would block sunlight during the summer as you attempt to keep your home cool, but as the leaves begin to fall it would allow more sun in the winter when you’re trying to heat your home. Making smarter decisions in the construction process can a lot of times save you hundreds or thousands on your electricity bills.

Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters are common place in most developing countries, although it might be a bit of a luxury here. Solar power collectors work a lot like a garden hose left to sit in the sun. The hose insulates the water in the tube, and the sun heats the tube and the water inside. Solar water heaters consist of an insulated hose that is fed through a box called a solar collector. As water is pulled up within the solar collector the sun heats the water and it is then pumped into our homes or pools  for our personal use.

 

Solar Pool Heaters

There are a couple very cost effective ways to heat your pool using solar technology. You could use a solar water heater, or a solar pool cover. The solar pool cover works by trapping the heat below the surface of the pool cover and heating the water underneath. This is a very cost effective way to heat up your pool more quickly in the summer.

Solar Ovens

Solar ovens are becoming a staple for emergency preparedness, it consists of a box that is able to trap the suns eat. You can place your food inside the box and the heat will cook it for you. Newer technology has been able to create a more stable cooking temp. This simple concept can be purchased or you can even do it yourself.

Solar Panels

Solar panels are created from photovoltaic cells. There are actually three different types of solar panel constructions, monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous.

Monocrystalline – the photovoltaic cell is created from a single pure silicon crystal. The Monocrystalline solar panels is both the most effective and the most expensive. They are very smooth yet very rigid and must be used in a frame to protect it.

Polycrystalline – is also produced by cutting off a section of the silicon crystal, however multiple crystals are used, this gives the silicon a very speckled look. This is both less effective and less expensive than the monocrystalline silicon. This silicon also must be protected within a frame.

Amorphous – uses a very thin layer of amorphous (not crystal) silicon and places it on a variety of surfaces. An example would be the new solar film attachable to windows, the upside of this technology is that because you can create a flexible solar panel, you can attach it to more types of surfaces, however this is the least effective at creating energy, and the least expensive to make.

Perfect and Imperfect Silicon

The main element used in the creation of a solar panel is silicon. Actually there are two distinct types of  bonded (imperfect) silicon used within a solar panel, Silicon-Phosphorus and Silicon-Boron.

To understand the different types of silicon used to create solar panels you need to know how silicon is able to bond. When atoms bond they may do so to fill their outer shell with electrons. Eight electrons may be within the outer shell of a silicon atom, therefore when silicon bonds with itself, it creates a very strong bond. The bond is strong because silicon atoms contain four electrons in their outer shell, and because silicon has eight electron slots, both atoms contain four open spots. When the atoms bond the outer shells will merge and both silicon atoms will share four electrons each creating an full outer electron shell (outer electron shell can hold eight electrons).

Silicon and Phosphorus

When Silicon bonds with Phosphorus there is one extra electron because phosphorus contains five electrons in its outer shell and silicon contains four. With theouter shell of both atoms only allowed to hold eight electrons, one electron is left to sit outside of the electron shell.  The extra electron has the capability of breaking away from the bond when photons strike, the free electron will then move towards the silicon and boron bond. This leaves the silicon and phosphorus bond with one less electron therefore leaving the atom with a positive charge.

Silicon and Boron

When these elements bond they are left one electron short, this happens because boron only contains three electrons in its outer shell and silicon contains four. For an outer shell to be complete it must house eight electrons. When a loose electron is knocked free it can find a new home within the silicon boron bond. When the free electron moves into the outer shell of the silicon and boron bond it make the atom negatively charged.

Electricity

When the photons come down and strike the phosphorus and silicon bond the extra electron is knocked free. Located between the layers of imperfect (bonded ) silicon is a conductor, this conductor is used to pull the free electron from the silicon and phosphorus bond to the silicon and boron bond. The movement of these free electrons creates a current, or electricity. The electricity is either stored in a battery for later use, or sent back to the electric company.