Solar Basics

What is Solar?

Solar energy is the cleanest and most inexhaustible form of all known energy sources. Solar radiation, the heat, light and other radiation emitted from the sun, is absorbed in the form of heat by everything it strikes and drives almost all natural processes on earth. This natural source delivers an abundant amount of energy that can be harnessed to provide us with the energy that we need with little impact on the environment.  Using solar and other forms of renewable energy reduces our reliance on fossil fuels for energy production, and directly reducing CO₂ emissions which are a main contributor to global warming, a prevalent environmental issue. 

There Are Two Types of Solar Energy

Photo-voltaics (PV) or Solar Electric

• A semiconductor-based technology that converts light energy into direct current (DC) electricity that can either be used immediately, or stored in a battery, for later use.
• PV panels are increasingly popular due to their versatility and ease of installation on buildings and other structures.
• Provides a clean, renewable energy source which reduces the use of utility produced electricity.
• In locations without utility grid infrastructure, such as remote communities, emergency phones etc, PV energy can be used to provide a reliable supply of electricity.
• Disadvantages of PV panels are their high cost and relatively low energy conversion rate (around 13-19%).  In addition, the need to "invert" the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) electricity so that the energy may be used in in many cases results in additional energy loss.

Solar Thermal

• Refers to a system that uses the sun's energy to create usable heat.
• This process is 4-5 times more efficient than PV at converting sunlight into usable energy which makes it much more cost-effective per unit of energy produced and can have a payback 2.5 times faster than PV.
• Can be used to actively heat water for domestic usage or space heating.
• Solar water heaters supplement electric or gas hot water production greatly reducing energy costs.
• Thermal energy obtained from the sun can be used for a wide range of applications including producing hot water, space heating, pool heating, industrial process heating and even cooling via the use of absorption chilling technology.