SOLAR ENERGY

Energy's name : The solar energy


Primary or secondary energy: This energy is primary.

Renewable or not renewable: Yes is renewabel.

Traditional or alternative energy: Is alternative

Brief definition: It is an energy produced by heat or light


Advantages: It is a clean energy that significantly reduces the carbon footprint, since it does not generate greenhouse gases or pollute during its use (only the pollution created by producing the solar panels).

It is a renewable and sustainable energy source.

Unlike other renewables, solar energy can heat.

It does not require constant extraction of materials for its operation, so it is a very economical energy whose initial investment is easy to recover over the years: a solar panel can have a useful life of forty years.

Sunlight is abundant and widely available, so the use of solar panels is a viable option in any geographic location; especially important for areas where it is difficult to create a cabling system.

The use of solar energy enhances energy security by reducing dependence on supplies from abroad.

Another advantage of solar energy is that it reduces the need for fossil fuels and helps conserve natural resources.

Problems: It has a relatively low efficiency in terms of the electrical energy it can convert, around 25%; although as its development progresses, its performance is being increased.

In the long run, solar energy can be cheap, but the initial cost of its installation is high and it is not accessible to everyone.

A large installation area is necessary in order to produce an adequate amount of electrical energy to meet energy needs.

Solar energy is not constant as it fluctuates throughout the day and is not available at night. To avoid this disadvantage you have to resort to energy storage. Its effectiveness is also less during the winter months.

Another disadvantage of solar energy is that the performance of solar panels can decrease in certain atmospheric conditions, such as long periods of heat and humidity or with clouds and fog.

Pollution is a problem for solar energy, so in cities with high levels of air pollution its performance is much lower.

During the production of solar panels, large amounts of greenhouse gases and toxic waste are emitted. A disadvantage that they compensate during their use by reducing the carbon footprint.