We all now the world is in crisis of traditional energy resources like coal and oil. It’s inevitable that usage of renewable energy should be increased. There are many sources of renewable energy like sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat. Among all renewable energy resources, solar power is the most viable and reliable renewable energy source. However solar energy is still not being used widely for electricity generation. Many people might be thinking – why the use of solar power is so important? These are some major reasons:
- We can contribute seriously in the efforts to conserve different traditional energy sources by using solar power.
- We can commit ourselves to save environment and reduce our carbon foot print on environment by using solar power.
- We can be self-sufficient. Sun is a natural resource. We are not dependent on any external agents for providing the energy or electricity to run our household or business entity.
Technology
The technology to convert the solar light into the energy is called solar cell or photovoltaic cell (PV). This converted energy can be used to run different electrical appliances. Solar cell converts Sun light into an electric current by using the photoelectric effect.
In 1860s the most traditional energy source – Coal – was difficult to obtain, solar power technology was developed and grew rapidly. During 20th century when new sources for traditional energy resources like coal and oil are discovered, popularity and usage of solar energy saw a downturn. During last decade of 20th century the world witnessed shortage and distribution issues of oil and natural gas along with global warming issues. At the same time the solar technology is matured and became economically viable as compared to other renewable sources with major inventions. Solar power has now become one of the most sought-after renewable energy resources.
