La energía solar es un recurso renovable que nos proporciona el Sol. El Sol es la gran estrella de nuestro Sistema Solar con 1,4 millones de kilómetros de diámetro, está formado por una serie de gases calientes, los más abundantes son: hidrógeno 71% y helio 21%.
Examples of solar energy
Estos gases son convertidos en energía en el núcleo del Sol y esta energía que se genera es liberada desde el interior del Sol hasta el Sistema Solar en forma de luz y calor. La luz y el calor que se liberan por el Sol, son la energía que nos llega a la Tierra y hace posible la vida en ella. Además de hacer posible la vida en la Tierra, a esta energía solar que nos llega se le da diferentes usos o aprovechamiento. Sabiendo esto, es conveniente conocer mejor cómo se produce la energía solar.
Como se ha mencionado anteriormente, la radiación solar llega a la Tierra en forma de luz y calor, esta energía es captada por los paneles o placas solares a través de diferentes captadores (fotocélulas, heliostatos o colectores solares), una vez captada la energía se transforma bien en energía térmica o eléctrica.
Si tras leer esto quieres seguir descubriendo esta energía renovable y ver qué nos puede ofrecer, te animamos a seguir leyendo este artículo de EcologíaVerde, pues aquí hablamos sobre cuáles son los usos de la energía solar.
illumination
It is one of the best known uses of solar energy , since it is becoming more and more common to see lights with a small solar energy collector . It is used to illuminate exteriors , such as roads, trails and highways, without the need to use an electrical line. This is possible since the different lighting points have a small plate that captures solar energy during the day, stores it and when night comes, it makes use of this stored energy, providing light.
Production of domestic hot water (DHW)
Sanitary water , also known as hand water, needs 45ºC to be disinfected and can be used for this purpose and it is easy to bring the water to this temperature with thermal solar panels . These thermal panels are not only seen in houses that have been recently built, but also in previously built homes in which a replacement is made in the facilities, this replacement allows significant economic savings for both homes and companies.
Heating or air conditioning
Solar energy is captured and transformed into thermal energy . This use is valid both for the production of hot air in winter and cold air in summer. It allows a strong energy saving of 70% and, consequently, also an economic saving. We can find two systems:
- Active system: which makes use of pumps to circulate hot water to transfer heat.
- Passive system: the natural circulation of water is used.
Water heating, swimming pools and spas
To heat water, the thermal energy obtained from solar energy is used . This is an increasingly common use in places where sunny weather is predominant, such as Spain or Latin America. This practice means significant economic savings in electricity or gas in homes, in addition to allowing the duration of bathing in swimming pools, whether indoors or outdoors.
Solar powered electric transportation
Solar-powered transportation is something that is still under development, but it is already being applied, especially to buses, railways, electric cars and roads that can be activated by sunlight. This is achieved through photovoltaics . If this development with photovoltaic energy gave good results, it would help in a very important way to reduce pollution in urban centers.
Irrigation
Due to the fact that optimization of water is increasingly important, solar energy can be used, which is a good ally since, by installing pumps that work with solar energy, it allows farmers to regulate irrigation and, therefore, , a good optimization of this. This practice for water saving that can mean a small respite to water reserves or aquifers depending on its origin.
Here you can discover more about What is solar irrigation and how to do it .
wearable technology
Nowadays it is very common to carry smart devices, not only a mobile phone, but also other devices such as tablets, smart watches or electronic books. This has led to the manufacture of solar batteries capable of charging these devices or devices that charge themselves by being exposed to sunlight , we can find everything from a hairdryer or radio to a wireless speaker and a tablet. In addition, it is now also applied to what is known as wearable technology , such as smart watches that are charged by sunlight or smart glasses that are charged by sunlight.
Now that you know the uses of solar energy, if you want to know more about this renewable energy and discover more about its uses and advantages, we recommend this other article on What is solar energy, what is it for and the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy.