Energy is at the heart of our daily lives. The increase of price of the petrol and pollution problems have bring to search new alternative energy who would be renewable. With the apparent climate change  , we must find energy independent and that doesn’t pollute the atmosphere. That is why solar energy is a good alternative. These energies have a huge energy potential because they use an inexhaustible resource. It comes from a relatively simple system has many advantages but also some disadvantages, like all types of energy and can be used almost anywhere.

The History

The conversion of light into electricity, called photovoltaic effect was discovered by Antoine Becquerel in 1839, but it will take nearly a century that scientists exploit this phenomenon.
The use of solar cells started in space project. The Research after the war (near years 40) have improved the performance and size of solar panels, but it was not until the energy crisis of 1970 that the governments and industry begin to invest in photovoltaic technology. 

The  Operation 

Solar energy comes from a simple system. When a solar panel is exposed to the sun, the atoms exposed to radiation, which are in the panel, tend to want to separate and it’s creating a large amount of energy that is converted into electricity by a process more complex . This reaction is called photovoltaics. the manufacture of these  panels is still very expensive because the manufacturing is very complex and must be done in laboratories or specialized industries. They are produced by layering sheets of silicon (silicium) and other materials.

The Advantage

This energy has many advantages as opposed to the petrol. This energy is renewable because it uses a inexhaustible source, the sun. The installation cost of the system are not expensive, it’s a very reliable technology and it doesn’t pollute the atmosphere.

 The Disadvantages

Like all types of energy, solar energy has some disadvantages.

At night, there have no sun ,them no electricity. The energy must be stored in batteries during the day for be use during the night. Too,the use of solar panels in some places is less appropriate.

For example: a place where they have winters, the solar panels will be blocked from the sun by the snow, so they can produce electricity. This technology should be improve, because for the moment, the manufacture of solar panels is still very expensive.

Where Can We Use It?

Solar energy can be use in many places. Today,we use for lighting on highways, in the communication, to heat buildings, space projects, in the transport, etc. It even allowed to make autonomous houses.

It’s also possible to make solar central, like the in the world which was built in Portugal. with 350000 solar panels installed on 114 hectares, it has a production capacity of 62 megawatts, it making it a unique project in the world.

This technology is also very popular for space project,  because electricity is the only usable source energy.

In conclusion, solar energy has many ecological benefits and it making it an interesting energy for the future. There is no limit. It’s renewable and very effective. But this energy must be more develop to one day replace the petrol.