Solar Energy

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Solar Energy

• Jake Roberts, Brittany Ely, Eddie Pearson,
  Santino Ardo

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Questions

• What evidence supports the idea that products of
  solar can provide a significant proportion of
  energy demand in the future?
• Does everybody agree with that evidence?  If not,
  explain.
• During my presentation, I suggested that solar
  energy has been best developed in areas having
  high sunlight and low cloud cover such as
  tropical and desert areas. 
• Can energy production from solar energy be
  enhanced in those areas?
• Can energy production from solar energy be
  developed in less sunny areas (such as northern
  Europe, or northeastern and northwestern U.S.?
• What environmental problems does solar energy
  pose?  Are those problems real or exaggerated?
• What social / political problems?
• Do any laws or regulations prevent the deployment
  of solar energy in the US? Other industrialized
  countries?  Non industrialized countries?

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What evidence supports the idea that products of
solar can provide a significant proportion of
energy demand in the future?

• - Solar supports virtually all life on earth
• - Wave power, hydroelectricity, and biomass
• - Harness the suns energy
• - Photovoltaic cell converts light into energy
• - Solar thermal makes up the most widely used
  category of solar energy.

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Does everybody agree with that evidence?  If not,
explain.

• -Not everyone agrees with evidence
• -Some areas dont receive much sunlight
• -Cost of solar is greater than end product

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Solar Energy Production in Areas of High Sunlight

• Solar Cells
• Solar Water Heating
• Solar Furnaces

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Solar Cells

• Also know as photovoltaic cells
• Convert light directly into electricity
• One square meter of solar panel one 100 W light
  bulb

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Solar Water Heating

• Solar energy is used to heat water in glass
  panels on the roof.

• Allows less gas and electricity to be used for
  heating your water at home.

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Solar Furnaces

• Use large arrays of mirrors to concentrate solar
  energy into a small space.
• One located at Odellio, in France.

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Solar Towers

• Newest idea being considered
• Requires the building of a greenhouse which is
  warmed by the Sun.

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Solar Energy in Areas of Little Sunlight

• Solar-powered sites have battery banks.

• It is thought by Northern Powers Brennan that
  any site with an appropriately sized battery bank
  can receive and store solar energy even with a
  little Sun.

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What are the environmental or disadvantages that
solar power provides?

• - Cant provide a stable source of energy at
  night.
•  - Solar farms are very expensive to build and
  require routine fixes
•  - Can be unreliable unless you're in a very
  sunny climate.
•  - Places that get a lot of snow may find solar
  power systems only minimally useful in winter,
  even if they work well during the summer
• - 1 solar farm can take up a large amount of
  land.
• - Solar panels convert energy of the sun into
  energy humans can use - there are no harmful
  byproducts or threats actually to the environment

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Are these problems real or exaggerated?

• - The problems are real, however the problems
  solar power provides are not much of a concern.
• -Solar power is one of the cleanest methods of
  energy production known.

http//www.flickr.com/photos/roddh/313272722/
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Social Issues

• -  Take up large amounts of land
• -   Very expensive
•  -   Home owners and businesses that are located
  in non sunny climates may find this energy
  resource hard to use or useless.

http//www.flickr.com/photos/rob_goodspeed/5647265
3/
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Political Issues

• -Since fossil fuels are on the decline and prices
  are starting to soar, the United States is
  producing more ways to fund solar farm projects
  for them to be built.
• - Political views find solar power to be a
  positive energy source to be used in the future

http//www.msstate.edu/dept/geosciences/CT/TIG/WEB
SITES/LOCAL/Summer2003/Harman_Pamela/solar20power
.JPG
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Do any laws or regulations prevent the deployment
of solar energy in the US? Other industrialized
countries?  Non industrialized countries?

• No
• No laws prohibiting the insulation of solar
  panels
• All laws help people by giving home and business
  owners tax exemptions

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Work Cited

• Union of Concerned Scientists article
• ScienceDaily Solar Energy News
• Energyquest article
• Darvill's solar power websiteSolar Energy network
• US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies
  Program website
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Solar Energy
  Basics