Solar Power is a sustainable form of energy that is being integrated into countries' lifestyles today. In this age, as environmental issues are being raised, environmental consciousness is being liberated. People are opting for more energy efficient lifestyles that contribute to a greener, cleaner and safer environment. One of the many ways of doing so is by switching from fossil fuels to a renewable source of energy-solar energy.
Some countries that have already joined the 'solar movement' are:
1. China- the world's largest operating solar power project. It is the largest manufacturer of solar panels.
2. United States- home to some of the world's biggest solar power plants, also in the works of relaying tax incentives and policies for distributed solar panels.
3. Japan- goals to increase the use of renewable energies from 15% to 22-24% by 2030 (GO Japan!)
4. Germany- key leader in the production of photovoltaic power and is the highest ranking country for photovoltaic power per capita.
5. India- 28.18 GW of solar installed power by March 2019, the lowest cost producer of solar power.
6. Italy- accounted 7.9% of electricity demand by solar photovoltaic power.
7. United Kingdom- government encouragement for the introduction of solar panels into homes and business places, 3.4% of total electricity generation was solar by 2017 and goals for 4 million homes to be solar powered by 2020.
8. Australia- up to 59 solar projects, 5.2% of the electricity was generated by photovoltaic solar power. This country has the potential to be one of the highest ranking solar powered nations because of all the sun it receives.
9. France- overall solar power generated was an astounding 8.5 GW with 479 MW being newly installed photovoltaics. Major solar installations made this country one of the leaders in solar energy.
References:
Boyle, M. (2019). Which country uses the most solar power? | finder UK. Retrieved 25 October 2019, from https://www.finder.com/uk/nation-most-solar-power
Friday, October 25, 2019
Saturday, October 19, 2019
WHY SOLAR? 5 Facts about Solar Energy!
- Solar energy is the most abundant source of energy on our planet.🌞
- Solar energy is virtually cheaper today than fossil fuels (saving $$).
- Solar energy does not directly produce any form of pollution.
- Solar energy is a form of renewable energy.
- Solar energy can provide power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
THE MAGIC OF SOLAR POWER!
Review: Renewable energy sources are energy sources that do not deplete when consumed or naturally replenishes itself within a human lifetime
Solar energy systems refer to technologies that convert the sun's heat or light to another form of energy for use.
Solar energy includes:
•Solar Photovoltaics
•Solar Thermal
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) uses semiconductors to convert sunlight into direct current electricity. Cool right?
Solar Thermal technology uses the heat energy from the sun as heating or for the production if electricity.
Video explaining solar power and how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDZzAIcCQLQ
Although in some areas of the world harnessing solar energy can be tricky, this is not necessarily an issue in the Caribbean. Due to our geographic location, which is in close proximity to the equator, the sun's Ray's travel shorter distances to get to the region's nations (Caribbean countries). That is, solar energy is available to us more frequently and abundantly than most places in the world.
Solar energy is dependent on sunshine, so when there are cloudy days or rainy days, how will we utilize solar energy? Great question! Solar energy can be stored in batteries for later use when these conditions prohibit solar energy conversion into electricity or other forms of energy.
Thank you science for finding solutions to arising problems. Thank you solar energy for being so nice to mother Earth. Thank you Mr. Sun for giving us your energy! You all work together to provide the Magic of Solar Power.
References:
- US. Department of Energy. “Solar Energy Technology Basics”. August 16, 2013. http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/solar-energy-technology-basics
- National Renewable Energy Lab. “Solar Energy Basics”. July 25, 2014. http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_solar.html
- US. Department of Energy. "Photovoltaic Technology Basics". August 16, 2013. http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/photovoltaic-technology-basics
- US. Department of Energy. “Concentrating Solar Power Basics”. August 16, 2013. http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/concentrating-solar-power-basics
Friday, October 11, 2019
Solar Powered Chargers!
Check out this extremely cool new invention- Solar Powered Chargers! Imagine never having to worry about finding an outlet to charge your phone/ tablets/ laptops. Charge your devices using only sun rays.
Photo showing a solar charger charging electronic devices https://addtoptech.com/products/solar-charger-24000mah-addtop-waterproof-power-bank-portable-battery-pack-2-usb-compatible-smartphones-tablets-outdoor-camping-travelling?variant=18364830253115
Sunday, October 6, 2019
WAKE UP PEOPLE WE’RE IN A CLIMATE EMERGENCY!
If you are a person alive in
the 21st century I’m absolutely positive that you’ve heard of
something we term ‘Climate Change’. If
you’ve been living under a rock or just never gave it a second thought then let
me enlighten you. Mother Earth is dying. Sounds a bit harsh and melodramatic
right? It isn’t and it is important that we understand what is happening, why
it is happening and what we can do in an effort to make it better.
Climate change is really hard
to ignore now as you can literally see what is happening to our environment,
honestly, you really cannot miss it. I’m sure you’ve been hearing the effects
but you probably don’t care to lend an ear or make a change simply because it
doesn’t affect you directly, but hear me out. I’m going to paint you a picture,
while you read let your imagination run wild.
Picture yourself in the next
10/15 years or so, you’re married and you have kids. You just got the promotion
you’ve been working so hard for and you want to celebrate with your family. You
decide to surprise your family with a vacation, you’re going to Hawaii to take
in the sun, sea and sand and spend some deserved quality time with your loved
ones. You get there and the water is a beautiful turquoise, the sun kisses your
skin softly leaving warmth on your cheeks and the sand feels cool between your
toes. Except, in the next 10/15 years, the Hawaiian islands may have sunken,
you can’t go outside to enjoy the sun because you might get skin cancer and there
is no more beautiful turquoise blue waters to swim in because sea levels rose,
the sandy shores were flooded and the “beaches” are 25% water and 75% trash.
Now you can’t enjoy your family vacation and well, it kind of is your entire
fault in the first place and I’ll tell you exactly why.
WAKE UP PEOPLE WE’RE IN A
CLIMATE EMERGENCY!
Climate Change is a state of
emergency event currently occurring on our planet Earth. Global temperatures
have risen, our ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising, health issues have identifiably been a side effect and the list goes on.
One of the major causes of
global warming is extensive use of fossil fuels. We use fossil fuels
compellingly like our lives depend on it. It may be socially normal as it is
the single most common energy source. We get electricity from it, we get gas
for our cars from it, we need it to cook our food and even have enticing long,
hot showers sponsored by it. That dependence is the root of all our problems.
It has become so detrimental that famous singers have written songs about it,
pop culture artists like Billie Eilish, Lil Dicky, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande
and many more have been using their platforms to bring light to the endearing
situation.
Video on the Climate Emergency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvIiZc6uAXA
Contrary to popular belief,
we can make a change, we can make a difference, we can do it and we can start
now. How can we make a difference you may be wondering? CUT OUT FOSSIL FUELS!
We can use more renewable and environmentally friendly energies. One of which
is Solar Energy. Scientists have done their research; engineers have made its
implementation simpler than ever and all facts point to it being a viable
solution to the overuse and abuse of fossil fuels.
Comparison of Solar Energy vs Fossil Fuels https://www.westcoastsolar.com/solar-power-vs-fossil-fuels/
While conducting research on
solar energy I came across an article that highlighted some major benefits of
implementing solar energy. It goes on to say that solar energy is a clean,
renewable source of power from the sun that is a great alternative of fossil
fuels, benefits include a decrease of green house gas emissions, reduction of respiratory and cardio health
issues and is an economically self-maintaining source of energy (Matasci,
2019). Many countries around the world
have slowly been ‘Going Solar’. It starts domestically, using solar panels in
your homes, for example, solar water heaters and installation of photovoltaic
cells for electricity. Why stop there? Petition for governments to increase
subsidies for solar panel installation, invest in the creation of solar power
stations, give environmental grants to largely solar powered cites and towns
and so many more things to encourage this movement.
Solar energy can be the new
wave energy power source. “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a
source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before
we tackle that. – Thomas Edison” Our brilliant minds have recognized it, now
its time to make the solar energy dream a reality.
References:
Matasci, Sarah. “Health and
Environmental benefits of solar energy” Environment
and Clean Technology (2019). https://news.energysage.com/health-environmental-benefits-of-solar-energy/
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