What is solar energy and what is it for

Solar energy is that which comes from the sun’s rays . This star emits electromagnetic radiation that reaches the Earth in the form of light and heat . Every year our planet receives 180 billion kilowatts of power from the Sun, although some of it is returned to space by the reflection produced by the atmosphere. This means that on a sunny day the earth’s surface can reach 1 kilowatt per square meter.

The sun has been shining on us 4,543,000,000 years and the scientific community believes that it will still do so for five hundred thousand more. Due to its inexhaustible nature, it is currently one of the most important renewable energy resources or inexhaustible natural resources in the world. Solar energy is a sustainable alternative energy source that has a lower environmental impact; it does not generate waste or emit toxic gases. However, it has the disadvantage that sunlight is intermittent and does not reach all areas of the planet equally.

For example, Spain, due to its geolocation and climate, has one of the highest rates of solar radiation in Europe, a figure similar to that of Latin American countries. It is estimated that per square meter it receives an amount of 1,500 kilowatt hours during the year. Unfortunately, we are not among the countries that most base their energy production on solar energy. We are overtaken by countries like China, and in Europe, Germany leads in solar energy production.

Solar energy has numerous applications, both in the natural world interacting with all living beings, and in the human economy. The sun provides all living beings with light, energy and heat , but humans get more out of our lifestyle. With this energy we get electricity, heat, transport and much more.

Next, we describe the most important uses of solar energy .

Apart from the basics that it provides to all living beings, solar energy serves us for the following in our economy and current world:

Electricity

Solar energy is converted into electricity thanks to photovoltaic panels. The photovoltaic panels are composed of cells or photovoltaic cells. These cells are built with semiconductor materials, that is, materials capable of behaving as conductors of electricity or as insulators. The most widely used semiconductors are silicon and gallium arsenide and they combine with other elements such as phosphorus or boron to generate a difference in negative and positive charges and thus create electricity. Electricity is defined as the movement of electrons from the negative to the positive pole. When the photons of the solar rays excite the electrons, they begin to move towards the positive charges and it is at that moment when the electric current is produced.

You may be interested in knowing this curious news about 5 artificial trees that generate electricity , many of them using solar energy.

Hot and cold

Solar energy is also used to produce the heat we need in our homes, for example for heating or to heat food . For this, thermal solar panels are used. They consist of parabolic mirrors that concentrate the sun’s rays and direct them towards a specific point, usually a tank with water. The water is heated and flows to our houses where it can be used in the shower, for cooking and even for heating.

This technology can also be used to generate cold air such as that which comes out through air conditioners, this ecological alternative is known as “solar cold”. The same process is followed as before, except that a heat absorber, lithium bromide, is added, which allows the air to become cold.

Transport

Thanks to solar energy we can achieve more sustainable and ecological means of transport . Although electric vehicles already exist, a further step could be taken if the electricity they consume came from clean and renewable energies. Installing photovoltaic solar panels would achieve the necessary electrical energy so that cars, trams and even airplanes could move.

Artificial irrigation

Solar energy technology is also used for irrigation systems in gardens, farms and crops. There are solar water pumps that allow the extraction and transport of water masses thanks to the electricity produced by the photovoltaic solar panels that they have connected. Also, some of these pumps contain batteries that store energy to keep running when sunlight is not available.

As we have said before, solar energy is used by all living beings and these are the main uses that are given in nature to this energy source:

Photosynthesis

Thanks to solar energy, plants, algae and cyanobacteria can carry out photosynthesis. PhotosynthesisAs we already know, it is the process by which these living beings obtain the organic matter and energy they need to live. Solar energy is captured by chlorophyll, a very light-sensitive pigment found in plant cells, specifically in organelles called chloroplasts. In addition, for photosynthesis to occur, water and carbon dioxide are needed. Sunlight causes photolysis, that is, the breakdown of water molecules separating into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere and hydrogen is used in other reactions that allow the body to obtain organic matter and energy. The importance of photosynthesis is that it provides us with the oxygen we need to live,

Source of vitamin D

We have always heard that “put yourself in the sun for a little while to get vitamin D”. Although the Sun does not directly provide us with vitamin D, it is true that ultraviolet rays activate the enzymatic machinery of our skin cells to make it. Vitamin D allows the body to fix the calcium that is so important for our bones, for the movement of muscles, the transmission of the nerve impulse and helps the immune system to fight against pathogenic organisms. Thanks to the Sun and its energy, you can help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, rickets, fibriomalgia and depression, among others. Therefore, the Sun provides us with another very important service, that of health.

Corporal temperature regulation

For the metabolism of animals to be adequate, a certain temperature is needed. At the physiological level, animals can be classified into endotherms or ectotherms depending on whether or not they are capable of regulating their own body temperature. The body temperature of endotherms or formerly called warm-blooded animals, such as birds and mammals, depends on the chemical reactions that occur in your body. However, the temperature of ectotherms or formerly called cold-blooded animals; reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, it depends on the environment in which they live. Solar energy is very important for them, since it depends on it to activate their metabolism and they can move, hunt, flee from predators and seek refuge.

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