Solar Energy: Basics and Applications

Solar Energy

• Solar energy is energy from the sun that can be converted into thermal or electrical energy through photovoltaic panels or solar ponds.
• Solar energy has many uses, including heating, cooling, ventilation, transportation, cooking, water treatment, and agriculture.
• It is a renewable, available, and clean energy source, but it is also expensive, difficult to store, dependent on weather conditions, and suffers from energy loss.

Biomass Energy

• Biomass energy is a renewable and sustainable fuel source derived from recently-living organic materials such as wood, animal waste, algae, and energy crops.
• Common sources of biomass energy include wood, animal waste, algae, wood processing waste, and energy crops like corn and soybeans.
• Biomass energy can be converted into biofuels and fuel components through various processes, including burning, pyrolysis, gasification, and fermentation.
• Biomass energy offers several benefits, including the potential reduction of greenhouse gases and reduced dependence on imported oil, but also has drawbacks such as high initial costs and consumption of arable land.

Wind Energy

• Wind energy is a clean, renewable source of electricity production that doesn't produce greenhouse gases, is inexpensive once established, and creates jobs.
• Wind energy is produced by transforming wind into electricity through wind turbines, which convert mechanical energy into electricity.
• Wind energy has drawbacks, including inconsistency, high upfront costs, noise, and the killing of birds and bats.
• Wind farms have both pros and cons, including not taking up a lot of land, but also being expensive to build and manufacture.

Hydropower

• Hydropower is the kinetic energy produced by the flow of water from high to low elevation, which can be harnessed to produce electricity through hydroelectric power.
• Hydroelectric power is a clean energy source that doesn't use fossil fuels, is renewable, and has a high energy density.
• Hydroelectric power has drawbacks, including disrupting ecosystems, changing water temperatures, and disrupting the natural flow of water.
• Efforts have been made to remedy these issues, such as the invention and use of fish ladders.

Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal energy is heat energy generated by radioactive decay beneath the Earth's surface, which can be harnessed for heat and electricity.
• Geothermal energy has several types of power plants, including dry steam plants, flash steam plants, and binary cycle plants.
• Geothermal energy has pros, including low operating costs, being a renewable source, and being significantly cleaner than fossil fuels.
• Geothermal energy has cons, including high initial costs, restrictions to areas near tectonic plates, and the possibility of introducing toxic chemicals from deep underground into water sources.

Tidal Energy

• Tidal energy uses the power of the ocean's tides to produce energy through tidal turbines, tidal barrages, and tidal lagoons.
• Tidal energy is a predictable, inexhaustible, clean, and cheap source of energy, but also has drawbacks such as high upfront costs, detrimental effects on marine life, and intermittency.

Wilderness

• Wilderness is a large region or tract of land that has not been disturbed by humans, with no roads, pipelines, powerlines, or buildings.
• The Wilderness Act allows for parts of the USA to be designated as wilderness areas and prevents human interaction.
• Wilderness areas provide benefits such as natural filters for polluted water, undisturbed habitats for plants and animals, and promote population growth of endangered species.
• Wilderness areas face threats from greenhouse emissions, farming practices, and industry.

Water

• We use water every day for various purposes, and we get it from groundwater and surface water.
• Groundwater may be found in aquifers, which are water reservoirs that are like giant rock sponges underground.
• Surface waters can be overdrawn, causing streams, lakes, and rivers to dry up or fall short of where they used to reach.
• Excess removal of surface waters causes changes in the landscape, such as subsidence and sinkholes.

Ocean Water

• Ocean water has a high salinity, with a high concentration of sodium chloride, and also contains chemicals, dissolved gases, and a high heat capacity.
• Ocean waters range in temperature, with a freezing point of around 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and have a high energy density.
• Ocean water density depends mainly on its temperature and salinity, with cold, salty water being denser and sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Groundwater

• Groundwater is the water below the surface, which is stored in aquifers, often made of limestone, and takes thousands or millions of years to fill.
• Groundwater plays an important role in the water cycle, natural ecosystems, and land formations on Earth.
• Groundwater can be removed through pumping, leaving behind an empty space, which can cause the ground to sink, creating a sinkhole.
• Groundwater can also dissolve rock underground, forming caves and caverns.

Soil

• Soil is a medium that consists of a mixture of sediment and minerals, organic matter, various gases, liquids, and organisms and microorganisms.
• Soil takes a long time to accumulate in a barren region that is developing into an ecosystem that can sustain life.
• Soil can be composed of weathered sediments in various sizes, and can form different soil structures, such as granular, platy, or columnar.
• Soil has different layers, including topsoil, which usually has the most organic matter, and deeper layers that have more clay and silt.

Rocks and Minerals

• Rocks and minerals are solids that can be found in the Earth's crust, with a wide range of sizes, colors, and shapes.
• Minerals have a defined crystalline structure, while rocks can take on various shapes.
• Rocks are categorized through the processes that create them, including igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
• Minerals are classified by their chemical composition, crystalline structure, and various distinguishing visual traits.

Solar Energy

• Solar energy is energy from the sun that can be converted into thermal or electrical energy through photovoltaic panels or solar ponds.
• Solar energy has many uses, including heating, cooling, ventilation, transportation, cooking, water treatment, and agriculture.
• It is a renewable, available, and clean energy source, but it is also expensive, difficult to store, dependent on weather conditions, and suffers from energy loss.

Biomass Energy

• Biomass energy is a renewable and sustainable fuel source derived from recently-living organic materials such as wood, animal waste, algae, and energy crops.
• Common sources of biomass energy include wood, animal waste, algae, wood processing waste, and energy crops like corn and soybeans.
• Biomass energy can be converted into biofuels and fuel components through various processes, including burning, pyrolysis, gasification, and fermentation.
• Biomass energy offers several benefits, including the potential reduction of greenhouse gases and reduced dependence on imported oil, but also has drawbacks such as high initial costs and consumption of arable land.

Wind Energy

• Wind energy is a clean, renewable source of electricity production that doesn't produce greenhouse gases, is inexpensive once established, and creates jobs.
• Wind energy is produced by transforming wind into electricity through wind turbines, which convert mechanical energy into electricity.
• Wind energy has drawbacks, including inconsistency, high upfront costs, noise, and the killing of birds and bats.
• Wind farms have both pros and cons, including not taking up a lot of land, but also being expensive to build and manufacture.

Hydropower

• Hydropower is the kinetic energy produced by the flow of water from high to low elevation, which can be harnessed to produce electricity through hydroelectric power.
• Hydroelectric power is a clean energy source that doesn't use fossil fuels, is renewable, and has a high energy density.
• Hydroelectric power has drawbacks, including disrupting ecosystems, changing water temperatures, and disrupting the natural flow of water.
• Efforts have been made to remedy these issues, such as the invention and use of fish ladders.

Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal energy is heat energy generated by radioactive decay beneath the Earth's surface, which can be harnessed for heat and electricity.
• Geothermal energy has several types of power plants, including dry steam plants, flash steam plants, and binary cycle plants.
• Geothermal energy has pros, including low operating costs, being a renewable source, and being significantly cleaner than fossil fuels.
• Geothermal energy has cons, including high initial costs, restrictions to areas near tectonic plates, and the possibility of introducing toxic chemicals from deep underground into water sources.

Tidal Energy

• Tidal energy uses the power of the ocean's tides to produce energy through tidal turbines, tidal barrages, and tidal lagoons.
• Tidal energy is a predictable, inexhaustible, clean, and cheap source of energy, but also has drawbacks such as high upfront costs, detrimental effects on marine life, and intermittency.

Wilderness

• Wilderness is a large region or tract of land that has not been disturbed by humans, with no roads, pipelines, powerlines, or buildings.
• The Wilderness Act allows for parts of the USA to be designated as wilderness areas and prevents human interaction.
• Wilderness areas provide benefits such as natural filters for polluted water, undisturbed habitats for plants and animals, and promote population growth of endangered species.
• Wilderness areas face threats from greenhouse emissions, farming practices, and industry.

Water

• We use water every day for various purposes, and we get it from groundwater and surface water.
• Groundwater may be found in aquifers, which are water reservoirs that are like giant rock sponges underground.
• Surface waters can be overdrawn, causing streams, lakes, and rivers to dry up or fall short of where they used to reach.
• Excess removal of surface waters causes changes in the landscape, such as subsidence and sinkholes.

Ocean Water

• Ocean water has a high salinity, with a high concentration of sodium chloride, and also contains chemicals, dissolved gases, and a high heat capacity.
• Ocean waters range in temperature, with a freezing point of around 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and have a high energy density.
• Ocean water density depends mainly on its temperature and salinity, with cold, salty water being denser and sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Groundwater

• Groundwater is the water below the surface, which is stored in aquifers, often made of limestone, and takes thousands or millions of years to fill.
• Groundwater plays an important role in the water cycle, natural ecosystems, and land formations on Earth.
• Groundwater can be removed through pumping, leaving behind an empty space, which can cause the ground to sink, creating a sinkhole.
• Groundwater can also dissolve rock underground, forming caves and caverns.

Soil

• Soil is a medium that consists of a mixture of sediment and minerals, organic matter, various gases, liquids, and organisms and microorganisms.
• Soil takes a long time to accumulate in a barren region that is developing into an ecosystem that can sustain life.
• Soil can be composed of weathered sediments in various sizes, and can form different soil structures, such as granular, platy, or columnar.
• Soil has different layers, including topsoil, which usually has the most organic matter, and deeper layers that have more clay and silt.

Rocks and Minerals

• Rocks and minerals are solids that can be found in the Earth's crust, with a wide range of sizes, colors, and shapes.
• Minerals have a defined crystalline structure, while rocks can take on various shapes.
• Rocks are categorized through the processes that create them, including igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.
• Minerals are classified by their chemical composition, crystalline structure, and various distinguishing visual traits.

Learn about the basics of solar energy, its conversion into thermal or electrical energy, and its various uses in different fields.