How Does Solar Energy Work? The Basics

How Does Solar Energy Work?  The Basics

Through all the concern about pollution and global warning, some people have attempted to figure out how to run our world using alternate sources of energy.  One of these sources, solar energy, holds the appeal of coming from a renewable resource, but the question that the average person has is, how does solar energy work?  To answer the question, how does solar energy work, let’s take a look at the basics of how this renewable energy source can help.

Our Sun: The Source

Of course, the big key to the question, how does solar energy work, is the energy from the sun.  A lot of solar energy hits the Earth; more, in fact, than we can possibly use!  The actual amount of energy of energy that hits the planet every minute is much greater than the amount of energy we use through fossil fuels like coal each year.  The problem, of course, is learning to harness that energy, though there are plenty of ways to do this.

Absorbing The Energy

The answer to the question, how does solar energy work, is to find a way to absorb that energy for use in other applications.  For instance, a solar cooker is usually a box with a transparent lid that reflects light into it, which absorbs a lot of energy, much like a car sitting in the sun might.  This in turn heats the inside of the box to temperatures high enough to cook food, making use of the ambient solar energy to perform the same activities in a stove.  This answer to the question, how does solar energy work, is particularly critical in impoverished areas where fuel for cooking fires is not readily available.

Absorbing In Different Ways: Photovoltaic Cells

Understanding how solar energy can be used for cooking doesn’t quite answer the question, how does solar energy work, with respect to electricity.  The answer to this question is through photovoltaic cells.  In essence, the way these power cells work is similar to the way it works in a cooker; that is, solar energy is absorbed in order to create an effect. 

But in this case, instead of just heating, special cells made of conductive material, called photovoltaic cells, absorb the energy, which knocks electrons loose from atoms and results in a small electrical charge.  The resulting electricity, in the form of direct current, can be converted to alternating current, which American households use.  So, next time someone asks you how this form of energy works, you at least have a basic understanding of how solar energy generates electricity.

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