Natural Future

Types of Solar Power

From the dawn of mankind, the sun has served as both a religious and psychological symbol of strength, energy, vitality and almost everything labeled good by the multi-cultural populations that have lived their lives under its rays. Let the sun shine and the world's energy problems are theoretically solved.

So then, what's the problem? Translating the laws of physics into practical applications often turns out to be as challenging a task as is the task of discovering those same laws.

The pace of research and development in the area of solar energy, slow compared to the current energy needs of the global population, need not necessarily cast an umbrella's shadow, let alone rain on the renewable energy parade. Advances in solar energy thinking and technology have moved at the proverbial hare's pace during the past fifty years covering topics that range from cooking to space exploration. With a little patience, any child can learn to convert a pizza box into a solar over. NASA scientists, with a bit more patience and research and development funds, have developed solar panels as a primary energy source for their space vehicles. It's also probably a safe bet to suggest they ate a good deal of pizza during the process.

The language of solar energy may sound Greek to any layman's ears, however, all the terms used to describe the various technologies in use today deal with two very simple sun observations.

Walk outside on a sunny day and you will notice that the sun provides heat and light. These basic observations provide the starting point for differentiating between the two different types of solar energy technologies employed today, solar thermal and photovoltaics (PV).

You can click on any of the links in the solar resources box to learn more about them.

© 2001. Patricia A. Michaels.