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Essay Subject: Advantages: cost factor; inexhaustible source; alternative to oil; pollution-free; non-monopolistic. Types & applications.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Advantages: cost factor; inexhaustible source; alternative to oil; pollution-free; non-monopolistic. Types & applications. Paper Introduction: SOLAR ENERGY Energy is a crucial building block for civilization: Without reliable sources of power, modern technology would not exist. Reliability does not always equal availability, however, and the search for renewable or inexhaustible energy sources that also are relatively inexpensive, nonpolluting and available to everyone has become of paramount importance - enter solar energy. This alternative to fossil fuels has all of these advantages and comes in several forms and applications, adaptable to most uses, and as part of the earthos domain (rather than one person's - or one country's - oil field), it is nonmonopolistic. Solar technology operates on different principles, depending on the type of system used. For example, active solar systems use mechanical means such as solar collectors, pumps and fans to Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Photovoltaic sources produce electricity without any pollution,either of the noise or of the air variety. Solar technology operates on different principles, depending on thetype of system used. Currently used mainly forspace shuttle fuel, hydrogen gas has the potential to become the perfectalternative: it can be made out of water and electricity; it has nopollutants (not even carbon dioxide), producing only water when it burns;and it has the highest energy content of any fuel (Naar, 199 , p. 366). In the case ofpassive solar technology, centuries-old construction techniques can reducean energy bill by as much as 85 percent with an added construction cost ofonly 5 percent to 1 percent (Naar, 199 , p. The sun's rays arean unlimited resource, ideal for the ever increasing demands of modernsociety, and the star itself is impervious to the machinations ofpoliticians and big business. When exposed to light, electrons in the cadmium selenide becomeactive and move into the nickel, where they break the molecular bonds ofthe sea water. Indirect solar energy such as wind-generatedelectricity has dropped to less than 7 per kilowatt-hour, compared withelectricity from a coal-fired power plant, which costs about 5 perkilowatt-hour (Weinberg & Williams, 199 , p. Alternatively, sun-tracking mirrors can be usedto focus even more highly concentrated sunlight onto a central receiver,reaching much higher temperatures than is possible with the parabolicsystem. These "wind farms"are best suited to specific geographic areas where there is enough wind tomake the system cost-effective and to be able to supply adequate amounts ofpower consistently. Photovoltaic electricity is the result of individual particles oflight, or photons, being absorbed by a semiconductor, which produces anelectric current. The oil is circulated as it heats up and is used to create steam todrive a turbine generator. For example, active solar systems use mechanicalmeans such as solar collectors, pumps and fans to circulate heat, whilepassive solar systems use design and construction methods to do the same.Similarly, photovoltaics function as a direct source of electrical energy,but solar thermal technology relies on an indirect method of producingelectricity. Weinberg, C. New York: Harper &Row. (199 ). Because sea water is so plentiful, especially in countriesthat may have limited access to fresh water, this technology may come toform the basis of future solar energy sources. One such system uses mirrorsmounted in parabolic troughs to focus sunlight on pipes full of syntheticoil. 147). New York: Penguin Books. With about one milliondomestic solar hot-water systems in the United States (Naar, 199 , p. This alternative to fossil fuels has all of theseadvantages and comes in several forms and applications, adaptable to mostuses, and as part of the earthos domain (rather than one person's - or onecountry's - oil field), it is nonmonopolistic. Photovoltaic cells at theirsimplest, power the multitude of solar calculators that grace office desksaround the world. It does have drawbacks, however, in that it is difficult tosplit it off from the other molecules with which it is found in nature andit has an explosive nature. Photovoltaic electricity is a direct source of solar power that canbe used for applications as varied in scope as powering an individual homeand powering a multimegawatt power plant (Weinberg & Williams, 199 , p.149). However, passive solar systems are much more simple in their designand function and consequently even more common. A new way to store solar power. Construction techniques areused to keep unwanted heat out and desired heat in, obviating the need forair conditioning and space heating, respectively. Another cost advantage to solar power is the small unit size of themodules and technological simplicity of the designs. Efficientuse only enhances solar power's economic attractiveness, as it wouldeliminate the need for building more plants and facilities than wereabsolutely necessary. SOLAR ENERGY Energy is a crucial building block for civilization: Withoutreliable sources of power, modern technology would not exist. Photovoltaic electricitycan be used in an electrolysis reaction to produce hydrogen, which couldthen be shipped off for different purposes. (199 ). For example, solar thermal technology is adaptable forthermal storage of energy, so that the medium stores actual heat as well asenergy as it is transported. Itis suitable for uses such as those of natural gas and of gasoline, and theby-product of its manufacture, oxygen, has many valuable industrialapplications. The collector itself is usually in the form of a flat panelcontaining tubes painted black (to absorb the most heat) located on abuilding's roof. Also, biomassburning does not contribute to the greenhouse effect because the additionof carbon dioxide to the atmosphere upon the burning of biomass equals theamount consumed during photosynthesis (as long as the plants are not cutdown faster than they grow back), and its sulfur and ash content, whichdetermines the likelihood of causing acid rain, is lower than that of low-sulfur coal (Weinberg & Williams, 199 , p. New YorkTimes, 14 , D9. The face of international politics could bechanged dramatically if most nations became self-sufficient in their energysupplies. D9), is to use a pair of chemicalreactions involving methane and water, the first of which absorbs theenergy and the second of which releases it. The economic monopolies of oil-producing nations would not be able to dictate the price of oil in whatwould become a buyer's market. Naar, J. Scientists at Michigan State University produce hydrogen by splittingsea water into hydrogen and hydroxyl ions, using natural photosynthesis asa model. This fuelcan be shipped by pipeline to users hundreds of miles away. Passive solar technology can be applied to old and newstructures alike, usually without great financial investment (as comparedwith the price of setting up an active solar-power system). These systems do not use water,thus conserving another resource that is scarce in many parts of the world. Certain plants grown against the outside walls of a house can actas insulation, blocking the rays of the sun and generally keeping the heatout. (199 ). Wind can be converted to electricity very efficiently because of thisfactor through the use of large fields of windmills. 214). Forexample, the cost of photovoltaic cells fell from $6 per kilowatt-hour in197 to $1 in 198 and to between 2 and 3 in the 199 's, approachingthe price of conventionally generated electricity. Perhaps one of the greatest environmental concerns of the 199 's isthat of global warming, or the "greenhouse effect." As the use of fossilfuels increases all over the world, so does the effect of pollution fromburning fossil fuels. H. 2 1). Wind power is solar power that has already been converted intoanother form, much like biomass fuels, except that this form is mechanical. (1989). The use of adobe-styleor thick-walled masonry construction stores daytime heat for release atnight. Soaking up the rays to make fuel. Biomass fuels represent a form of indirect solar energy: The energyis stored as photosynthesis in green plants. In geographical regions that are vulnerable to temperatures belowfreezing, the air method is usually preferred. Attached greenhouses can serve as heat collectors during the day,with partitions or doors for releasing the heat into the rest of the mainbuilding at night. Third World countries looking for less-expensive,alternative forms of energy have several choices, including that of coal.The resulting increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere fromburning coal, however, would add to the chances of degenerative globalclimate change. References Falk, J., & Brownlow, A. The mainstream goal inthe United States, however, is to produce an effective and inexpensivephotovoltaic system of energy production that can be used as widely asconventional electricity. Science News, 135, 366. In this reaction, water is boiled to make steam in a black paintedtower that has sunlight focused on it by 64 computer directed mirrors. L. As solar energy technology either has progressed or become mass-produced, the cost of most solar systems has fallen dramatically. Wald, M. The end product containsapproximately 3 percent more energy than the methane had alone. The greatest advantage to solar energy is its very nature. More sophisticated technology includes solar thermal electricgeneration, which uses collectors to track the sun's path throughout theday and to concentrate its heat and light, thereby heating a circulatingfluid for use in a power-generating cycle. government dropped a solarpower tax-credit program in 1985. Another form of indirect solar energy, wind power, is consideredclosest to being economically competitive (Weinberg & Williams, 199 , p.147). Hydrogen gas is an element that frequently has been proposed as anideal storage medium and fuel for solar energy. 2 1),the active method of using solar energy is widespread. It also eliminates dependence on availability offuel supplies on the international market. Burning the plants retrievesthe energy. Solar thermal technology is likely to become cost competitive in the199 's, although that will not necessarily lead to dominance of the solarenergy market, as each technology will probably serve a specific customerniche. 147), and they are already cost-competitivefor serving markets out of reach of mainstream power suppliers, such asremote residences, research stations and military installations. Thisrapid decrease in price took place despite the fact that the bottom fellout of the solar energy market when the U.S. J., & Williams, R. 151). Energy from the sun.Scientific American, 263, 146-155.----------------------- 1 Design for a livable planet. Cars and transportation systems, power plants and home heatingand air-conditioning systems can all be powered by solar energy instead ofby fossil fuels. The greenhouse challenge: What'sto be done? (199 ). An effective storage medium also wouldprevent the loss of energy as it is transported from the desert (where itcan be collected most effectively) to the cities (where it can be used mostproductively). The semiconductor film used to convert light to energyis made of silicon, an abundant element. To replace the chloroplasts (the membranes of the plant cellsthat carry out this process), the scientists use a thin film of thesemiconductor cadmium selenide painted onto nickel foil ("Soaking," 199 ,p. Another storage solution, proposed byscientists in Israel (Wald, 199 , p. Heated air or liquid is transferred from the tube bygravity or a mechanical pump to a storage medium: rocks for air, tanks forliquid. Active solar collectors contain air or water (or another liquid),which absorbs heat from the sun to be used in heating space or water forvarious purposes, such as heating offices, rooms or pool, laundry or showerwater. Thesteam is used to heat methane gas, and as the steam and methane combine,carbon monoxide and hydrogen result. The large amount of land and water needed for biomassproduction is a drawback to this category of solar energy, but biomassfuels as a waste product of other industries, such as the sugarcaneindustry in South America, represent an under used resource. Reliabilitydoes not always equal availability, however, and the search for renewableor inexhaustible energy sources that also are relatively inexpensive,nonpolluting and available to everyone has become of paramount importance -enter solar energy. Solar energy at its most ideal would harness the power of the sun tofulfill all energy needs comparatively inexpensively. In addition, solar energy is probably themost pollution-free form of alternative energy currently available, and theleast likely to have side effects or to cause problems for futuregenerations of users. As the technology for capturing the sun's power improves, manyscientists are focusing their attention on how to store that power fornighttime and cloudy-day use. As an alternative to oil and other fossil fuels, solar power can eliminatethe use of these fuels or save them for any applications for which they maybe vital. Photovoltaics areexpected to be generally cost-competitive by the year 2 at the latest(Weinberg & Williams, 199 , p. Electricity from a solar thermal plant built in the Mojave Desertcosts 1 per kilowatt-hour, compared with 23 per kilowatt-hour for thefirst plants built. Suppliedby a star that is unaffected by local (that is, local to the earth)disturbances, direct solar power is essentially inexhaustible. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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