1. What is solar energy?

Simply put, solar energy is the energy contained within the solar radiation emitted by the sun. Solar radiation, also known as electromagnetic radiation, is a chemical reaction that occurs constantly on the surface and inside the sun, and some of this energy is brought to earth with solar radiation, and the carriers of this energy are particles called photons within solar radiation. When a photon is emitted to Earth, the energy it contains is called solar energy, and solar energy is involved in the life processes of almost all living things on Earth.

Solar energy is an abundant source of renewable energy. Since the sun possesses almost unlimited energy, just a portion of the solar energy emitted to the earth can reach very high values: the average intensity of solar radiation in the earth’s orbit can reach 1300 w/m2, and 10,0000 TW of energy can reach the earth’s surface every year. According to scientists’ estimates, the amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth in one and a half hours can meet the world’s annual energy needs.

Solar energy is a clean energy source, and there are no emissions when we utilize solar energy for our daily energy consumption. Compared to the fossil fuels that we used to use, solar energy reduces most of the environmental impact. It is worth noting that the environmental benefits of solar energy do not end with the lack of emissions, but also with the avoidance of wastewater from fossil fuel production and extraction, as well as the destruction of wildlife habitat that comes with the development of mines all over the world.

2. How Solar Energy is Generated and the Different Forms it Exists in?

2.1 How Solar Energy is Generated?

Before we can figure out how solar energy works, we need to know what kind of reactions are used to produce solar energy.

Nuclear energy, a powerful source of energy, is essentially energy that is released from reactions within the nucleus of an atom. The nucleus of an atom is the core structure of the atom, and when its structure is changed by external influences, it releases a large amount of energy, known as nuclear energy, or nuclear power for short. And solar energy is produced precisely because in the interior of the sun, countless atomic nuclei of hydrogen atoms are constantly undergoing nuclear fusion reactions, producing a large amount of energy.

2.2 Different forms of solar energy

The existence of solar energy in the form of far more than just sunlight. The wind energy, who energy, ocean temperature difference energy, wave energy, biomass energy and chemical energy in fossil fuels on the earth all come from solar energy.

Plants are able to convert solar energy into chemical energy for their own nutrition through photosynthesis, and animals and humans obtain solar energy indirectly through plants, and the energy contained in their bodies is one of the forms of solar energy. In addition, fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas also generate energy because of the chemical energy stored in the remains of plants and animals millions of years ago. It can be said that all species on earth need direct or indirect access to solar energy to survive.

3. How solar energy works?

By far the most important use of solar energy is to generate electricity, but it can also be used as a source of power, heat, etc. for other applications.

3.1 Solar Power Generation

Because solar energy has such outstanding performance and rich energy content, there are two main types of solar power applications: photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal.

3.1.1 Photovoltaic Power Generation

Photovoltaic power generation (PV) requires the cooperation of a solar panel, which is a special device consisting of a layer of semiconductor material (usually silicon), a metal frame, and a special glass shell. It is capable of absorbing solar energy and converting it into electricity. The specific principle of conversion utilizes the photovoltaic effect: the semiconductor material on the surface of the solar panel can be divided into two layers based on the charge it carries. When the photons in the sunlight with the sunlight irradiation to the solar panel, the solar panel can use the energy of these photons, the semiconductor surface carrying a negative charge of electrons from the low-energy state into a high-energy state. The electrons that are excited into a high-energy state will have a greater ability to break free from traction and thus become free-moving electrons. These free-moving electrons will start moving under the action of the electric field around the semiconductor wafer, thus generating an electric current.

However, the power generated by solar panels is DC and cannot be supplied directly to the load, so almost all solar panels have to be fitted with an inverter to convert the DC power into AC power. In today’s common solar systems, the solar inverter can be configured as one inverter for the entire system or one inverter per solar panel.

After the PV is realized to power the household loads, the problem to be faced is that the solar panels are not able to produce enough power on cloudy days and at night. In this case, you can choose to equip your solar panels with solar arrays to reserve the excess power produced by the panels in sunny weather. You can also choose to connect your solar system to the main power grid and send the excess power produced directly to the main power grid, and the utility company will provide you with free power within the quota when your system does not produce enough power.

3.1.2 Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

Concentrated solar thermal (CSP) technology is a way of generating electricity by converting solar energy into power for a generator such as a turbine. It is divided into four main types: trough CSP, Fresnel CSP, dish CSP, and central tower CSP, each of which has a very different structure.

The most mature and widely used is the central tower type: in order to achieve the power generation purpose, the CSP system in this mode needs a large open space, where a large number of mirrors and reflective devices are installed to concentrate the solar energy to the receiver in the center of the equipment. The center receiver will first convert the solar energy into thermal energy, and this thermal energy will be used to generate steam, which will drive the turbine to generate electricity, and ultimately, power.

As CSP technology has evolved, its use in conjunction with thermal energy storage systems has become increasingly common in practical applications. This thermal energy storage system is the equivalent of a solar cell in a solar energy system, and can help make the technology a flexible and dispatchable source of electricity.

In addition to the use of turbines within the system, they can also be used in conjunction with combined-cycle power plants: the collected thermal energy is delivered directly to the power plant to generate electricity, and these power plants can integrate CSP modules as well as fossil-fuel combustion power generation modules to ensure a stable output of energy.

3.2 Solar Heat

In addition to the conversion of solar energy into electricity through solar panels, there is another popular form of solar energy application: solar thermal technology.

This technology is realized through solar thermal panels, a device that collects solar energy for heat generation, collects solar energy and converts it into heat. There are two common types of solar thermal panels: flat plate collectors and vacuum tube collectors.

Flat plate collectors are very similar to solar panels from the outside, and their main principle of operation is to heat water or air by collecting heat through a dark-colored surface into an absorber, which then transfers the heat to the space in the tank. Its main component is the heat absorber, which is a device made of different materials, but usually made of conductor material.

Vacuum tube collector panels consist of a number of glass tubes in which a mixture of water and antifreeze will flow, and solar energy will be absorbed into these tubes and converted into heat. This form of solar thermal panel is more efficient than flat panels, especially in cold environments.

4. How solar energy works to generate profits?

Not only does solar energy at work provide an endless source of energy and reduce your carbon footprint to protect the environment, it can also generate revenue and profit for you.

4.1 Solar Farms

For people working in the solar industry, building solar farms is one of the ways they can make a profit. Solar farms, also known as solar photovoltaic power plants. It usually consists of thousands of solar panels. A solar farm is capable of producing large amounts of electricity in sunny weather.

For the shareholders of a solar farm, the large amount of electricity it can produce can be sold to utility companies or directly to homeowners. This power is easy to obtain, but can make you a huge profit.

4.2 Using home-based solar panels and solar thermal panels

As more and more people learn about solar power and heat. More and more homes are installing solar panels or solar thermal panels. For homeowners, the growing energy costs will bring more pressure on their lives, while the government provides a large number of attractive incentives and rebate policies, they only need to spend the upfront cost of solar energy system. The solar products installed will not only save a lot of money on electricity and gas bills for decades to come, but will also increase the value of the property when it comes time for a second sale, which can be profitable for the family either way.

5. Advantages and disadvantages of working with solar energy

There are a number of advantages to working with solar energy, which is why the solar industry has continued to be emphasized and grow in recent years. First of all, solar energy is considered a renewable source of energy, and solar energy can supply the earth for over billions of years. Secondly, the process of solar energy is very environmentally friendly and produces almost no pollution. What’s more, with a series of reasons such as increasing labor costs and increasing fossil fuel costs, the use of traditional combustion methods of power generation will not only expose people to high energy costs, but also further aggravate very serious problems such as energy depletion and global warming. Therefore, the use of solar energy must be the future of energy industry development.

However, there are still shortcomings in the process of solar energy, such as its high requirements for the weather and environment, low energy conversion efficiency and the high cost of the series of products is difficult to increase the popularity of such problems. However, with the continuous development of the industry and the continuous progress of science and technology, the solar industry will usher in a better future.

Summary:

With the development of science and technology, the value of solar energy is more and more people find and use. The industries in which it can be utilized may go far beyond those that exist now. Outlook for the future, solar energy will occupy a large part of the human energy utilization industry, solar energy can bring the income will also grow. Therefore, whether you are an investor or a home user, the solar energy industry will bring you benefits and surprises.