Blog 3: 7/09/09

The sun

What powers a solar calculator, makes a parked car hot, heats water and spaces, causes plants to grow, and can be turned into electricity? Solar energy. Every second, the “sun produces enough energy for almost 500,000 years of the current needs of our so-called civilization.” The energy is free, and there is an unlimited amount.

A lab visit today was about renewable energy, and a focus of it was on solar cells. The goal of these scientists is to duplicate expensive solar cells with cheap materials. This would allow for a cheap alternative energy that would not pollute the air or water. The lab sparked an interest in me, and I decided to research the past and future of solar energy.

I thought that the idea of using solar energy was fairly new, but I found out people have been using it for thousands of years. For example, the Romans constructed greenhouses that allowed them to grow vegetables and fruits all winter long. It is amazing what people could do with solar energy in the past. In the last 50 years or so, solar panels have been used to turn sunlight into electricity. When sunlight hits the panel, it causes electrons in the silicon to move. These electrons flow though wires in the solar panel, producing electricity. With these panels, we can power things from emergency call boxes to satellites. Imagine if the whole world were powered by solar energy. This is what scientists are trying to figure out how to do. The objective of the solar industry is to provide 50% of the electricity of the United States by 2025. In reaching this goal, there will be bumps along the way. Hopefully they can be overcome so that countries will be less dependent on fossil fuels and have a future based on sustainable and clean energy. I look forward to seeing if this goal is accomplished.