Importance Of Solar Energy

1140 Words5 Pages
From its fundamental definition, solar radiation is in fact an electromagnetic wave radiation. This makes solar energy a source of pure energy which has in its content the ability to deliver 100% maximum work (maximum exergy), as referred to in thermodynamics. Therefore, solar energy has the highest potential for producing useful work. Whether an application that uses solar energy as input is of thermal nature or independent of temperature, solar energy can be an ultimate choice for a sustainable source of clean energy. In a Solar Thermal Energy Collecting Converting (STECC) system, the solar radiation is collected by the system at a temperature that has much lower work potential for providing heat gain, unless it is at the sun emission temperature…show more content…
Therefore, many solar energy systems and power plants can utilize the 100% exergy content in solar energy as a source of heat. Understanding the main methods to improve the process of collecting solar radiation and to increase the efficiency of the STECC system were some of the objectives of this study. Numerous solar energy systems have been designed to serve the purpose of maximizing the energy collection from the sun, which the earth receives naturally every day for free; therefore, the need to highlight the areas of improvement in these systems is of high importance because of the great potential of solar energy as a sustainable fuel source for humanity. As mentioned earlier, solar energy has the maximum potential for producing work. This makes improving the design, operating parameters, and conditions of solar energy systems an ongoing…show more content…
In cloudy conditions, only 10% of the incident solar radiation can reach the surface of the earth in some cases. The intensity of the solar radiation from the source (sun’s surface) is about 6.33×107 W/m^2. Because the solar radiation spreads out as the distance squared and by the time it arrives the earth from the sun (1.496×1011 m, or 1 AU), the energy reaching one meter square of area becomes only about 1,367 W as illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1. Divergence of energy from the sun to the earth. Source: Elbasit, W.; Maksooud, A.; Kamh, S.; Soliman, F. New investigation on the applications and computer simulation of photovoltaic cells and storage systems. IJESRT. 4(10), 2015 Furthermore, an illustration of the range of absorption along with scattering losses (forward and backward) of incoming solar energy caused by different constituents of the atmosphere is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Solar energy losses in the atmosphere. Source: Watt, A. On the nature and distribution of solar radiation. U.S. Department of Energy. Report No. HCP/T2552-01:

More about Importance Of Solar Energy

Open Document