Although many people consider alternative solar energy to be a new technology, humans have been using it to heat homes and baths for thousands of years. Alternative solar energy is solar energy that can be captured and used in the same way that fossil fuel energy can. Solar energy has the advantage of not depleting its source, the sun, as a result of its use, making this type of power system sustainable.
Alternative solar energy can be collected and utilized in a variety of ways. Photovoltaic cells, which are commonly seen as solar panels, are one of the most well-known. Solar panels can be an excellent way to collect solar energy, but they do have some disadvantages. Panels have the benefit of quickly converting absorbed solar radiation into usable energy, but they are inefficient. This means that much of the absorbed light’s potential power is lost in the transfer process.
Solar thermal energy is primarily used to generate heat in places like homes, baths, and swimming pools. In a thermal system, the energy is collected and used to heat a fluid, which is then passed through a pipe system and mixed with water to produce steam. After that, steam is passed through a turbine system, which converts it to usable energy. Despite the fact that it appears to be a more complicated process than photovoltaic systems, thermal alternative solar energy is often far more efficient, retaining and using more of the collected energy directly for heating.
Alternative energy scientists have been working for years to perfect space solar power, or SSP, systems to solve the problem of inefficient collection and transfer systems. Large solar panels in orbit above the Earth would collect energy normally dispersed when sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, allowing space solar power to be developed. Furthermore, Earth-based power can only be collected during daylight hours, whereas orbiting satellites could collect energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although the system hasn’t been perfected, many experts believe it has the potential to be the future’s most efficient solution.
Alternative solar energy, in whatever form it is collected, can perform all of the functions of fossil fuel energy while emitting far less pollution. Solar energy production produces no greenhouse gases and does not pollute nearby air or water. Furthermore, because solar energy is a renewable energy source, humans do not risk depleting natural resources by using it.