The Solar Energy Effect on Our Society
The Cultural and Economic effect of Solar Panel Technology on our Society.
Solar energy and its use isn’t new to the world. It has been used by various societies beginning from 7thCentury B.C, when the sun’s heat was concentrated by glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered vehicles. By and large solar technology has some environmental, economic, psychological and ethical implications for our society. Actions taken by companies and individuals to increase the use of solar technology will create good local jobs, improve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil while doing what’s ethical and moral for our society.
What is solar Photovoltaic (PV)? A solar cell is a photovoltaic cell, which comes from photo (light) and voltaic (electricity). It is made of a material called a semiconductor, one commonly used is silicon. The basic structure of a PV cell is demonstrated in Figure 1. This semiconductor absorbs the light when struck, and bump electrons loose, making them flow freely. The PV cells have a current that makes the electrons flow into metal contacts (Aldous, 2009).
Figure 1: retrieved from < http://www.sfsm.org/images/solar_sponsors/anatomy_of_cell.jpg >
The panels take in energy from the sun and convert it to electricity. Sunlight was used in various ways, but the first connection to harnessing the power for electricity and solar panels was in 1839. Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel studied solar energy and discovered the photovoltaic effect along with the basis of a solar cell (Nationmaster, 2005). This would eventually turn into further invention with electricity run by solar energy. The first solar panels that were created and used were for space satellites. “Vanguard I” was the first PV (photovoltaic) powered satellite launched in 1958 and lasted for 8 years (Bellis, 2009). After that, many people began using the panels for pool
Solar energy and its use isn’t new to the world. It has been used by various societies beginning from 7thCentury B.C, when the sun’s heat was concentrated by glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered vehicles. By and large solar technology has some environmental, economic, psychological and ethical implications for our society. Actions taken by companies and individuals to increase the use of solar technology will create good local jobs, improve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil while doing what’s ethical and moral for our society.
What is solar Photovoltaic (PV)? A solar cell is a photovoltaic cell, which comes from photo (light) and voltaic (electricity). It is made of a material called a semiconductor, one commonly used is silicon. The basic structure of a PV cell is demonstrated in Figure 1. This semiconductor absorbs the light when struck, and bump electrons loose, making them flow freely. The PV cells have a current that makes the electrons flow into metal contacts (Aldous, 2009).
Figure 1: retrieved from < http://www.sfsm.org/images/solar_sponsors/anatomy_of_cell.jpg >
The panels take in energy from the sun and convert it to electricity. Sunlight was used in various ways, but the first connection to harnessing the power for electricity and solar panels was in 1839. Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel studied solar energy and discovered the photovoltaic effect along with the basis of a solar cell (Nationmaster, 2005). This would eventually turn into further invention with electricity run by solar energy. The first solar panels that were created and used were for space satellites. “Vanguard I” was the first PV (photovoltaic) powered satellite launched in 1958 and lasted for 8 years (Bellis, 2009). After that, many people began using the panels for pool