Page| 1

Solar Energy

Page| 2

Table of Contents

Solar Energy
3. What is solar energy?
3. My Opinions
4-5. Peoples Words/ Opinions
6-8. Charts and Graphs

9. Solar Powers Positive and Negative Impacts

10-12. Positive and negative impacts
12. Efforts

13. Arguments
14. Argument 1; solar heating should be developed further
14. Argument 2; it is worth developing cars powered by photovoltaic cells
15. Argument 3; PV power stations have a future
15. Argument 4; ambitious solar projects should be encouraged
16. Argument 5; solar cells are a good way to generate electricity

17. Case Studies

18. Study 1; rooftop solar
18. Study 2; solar heaters on Scandinavia
18. Study 4; hydrogen buses

19. Amazing Solar Creations

20. Creation 1; The solar ferris wheel
20. Creation 2; Helios
20-21. Creation 3; The MS Tranor

22. My Site
23.My website

Page| 3

Solar Energy

Page| 4

What is solar energy?

Well, if you're looking for the answer, you're in the right place!
Solar energy is a renewable source. It takes energy from the sun and does not harm the
environment.
Solar Panels are made of cells, called photovoltaic (PV) cells. These cells convert the suns
heat into energy by making a turbine spin.
Solar panels can be installed on roofs. solar energy can also come from solar power plants,
which have the solar panels lined up row by row. It can be a magnificent sight.
Solar panels are blue, with a metal frame and have white lines that make ti look like grids
(as shown below)

My Opinions
I think that solar panels and the chemicals made to make the cells should disposed
more carefully
As many solar panels have the ability to move with the sun so the more of the sun's
light can be absorbed, I'm pretty sure that you're not making much energy at the
same time
I also think that more people should install solar panels on their roof if they can
afford it

Page| 5

Peoples Words/ Opinions

"well meaning scientists, engineer, economists, and politicians have proposed various steps
that could slightly reduce fossil-fuel use and emissions. These steps are not enough. The
U.S needs a bold plan to free itself from fossil-fuels."
-Ken Zweibel, James Mason, and Vasilis Fthenkis, scientists who are noted authorities on solar power

"I'm all for efficiency, I'm all for renewables, I'm all for alternatives. But we have to be
realistic. That's the point what I part of the company with all these people who are
cheerleaders for 'Oh we'll we'll quit using oil.' Well, no we won't.
-Robert Bryce, journalist and the author of Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Indepentince

"You might say, do we really have enough sunlight?The answer is 10 000 times more than
we need... If we captured one part in 10 000 of the sunlight, we would meet our energy
needs
-Ray Kurzweil, scientist, inventor, and futurist

"wind and solar are enormously appealing as planet-friendly sources of energy- but those
who think we can completely rely in them in the future are dreaming"
-Simon Grose, science editor of the Australian newspaper Canberra Times

"Solar energy is the most abundant form of power in the universe"

-Roger Golden, "Solar- Energy- The Only True Source of Power," Ecoble, September 4,
2008. http://ecoble.com

Page| 6

"The sun's heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed
many ways"
-National Renewable Energy Laboratory 9 (NREL), "Solar Energy Basics," June 25, 2008. www.nrel.gov

"We're running out of atmosphere faster than we're running out of fossil fuels. The more
we diversify our sourses, the better."
-Dan Kammen, head of Renewable and appropriate Energy Laboratory, Berkeley, Caliafornia

"Even if we were to dam every river in the world and put wind turbines wherever there's
wind, it wouldn't be enough to provide for our energy needs. But with solar energy, we can
meet the world's energy demands.
-Professor Jacob Kami, Director of Center for Energy Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

"Solar radiation patterns around the globe are our most reliable and predictable resource"
-Tim Towsend, alternative energy specialist based in Davis, California

"In the cloudy United Kingdom, we can provide more electricity than the country currently
uses just with solar PV on existing rooftops"
-Jeremy Leggett, Chief Executive of Solarcentury, a PV solar consultancy, UK

"Solar was the obvious solution. Not only would we be helping economic development, but
we would also cut down on deforestation, which is such a big problem here"
-Mohammad Sani Muhammad, Jiawa Alternative Energy Fund, Nigeria

"we're four to five years from the point at which solar is cost-effective with traditional
electric generation without any subsidy."
-Norm Taffe, Vice President for Cypress Semiconductor's Consumer Division, speaking at Globalpress Summit, Monterey, California, 2006

"We ought to be purchasing money. If we do it right, the environmental benefit comes

free."
-Amory Lovins, co-founder of Rocky Mountain Institute

"The technology works. It's reliable, it's efficient. The question is, how do you make the
the leap scale, in terms of manufacturing?"
-Thomas R Mancini, Manager of the Solar Power Program at Sandia National Labs, Livermore, California

Page| 7
"I believe that solar energy will be the future energy resource for human beings, and that
by the middle of this century it will account for 20-30% of energy generation."
-Nicoletta Marigo, the Environment Policy and Management Group, Imperial College London, U.K

Charts

Page| 8

Page| 9

Page| 10

Note: I barrel= 42 gallons= 159 liters

Page| 11

Solar Energys Positive and Negative Impacts

Page| 12

Positive Impacts/ Advantages

Does not resolve to climate change
Speed
Produces local energy so that big advanced plants aren't needed
Reliable over the long term, fixed photovoltaic systems last longer than other
sources
Uses little or no water
The sun is available anywhere for sometime, so it can be placed in any geographic
region
Creates good, local jobs
100% renewable
Will save you money on energy bills and the sun is free (kinda, as you still pay
environmental taxes
Let's use an example, like a coal-fired power plant, you can't have a bunch of little
inefficient ones just- just scattered all over the place, you want One, Big, Efficient
one where you can control the pollution and make it efficient as possible. Plus, if
you're going to have that, you will need to transfer the electricity from a plant
possibly up to hundreds of miles away. What's bad about that you ask? Well, You
have to transfer the electricity from special pipes and you can lose up to 30% of
the electricity you made. Just transferring the electricity just to lose is
embarrassing! Plus, you're burning these megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the air
just so we can lose it! With solar panels, you can place them right where you need
them.

Negative Impacts/ Disadvantages

PV cells that are in solar panels can do the following. PV cells also have the following;
Includes a number of hazardous materials, most used to clean the surface

Page| 13
The amount and type of chemicals used depends on the type of cell, the amount of
cleaning that is needed
Workers face risk with inhaling silicon dust
Thin-film PV cells contain a number of more toxic materials

If not handled and disposed of properly, these materials could pose serious
environmental or public health threats

Manufacturers have a strong financial incentive to ensure that these highly valuable
and often rare materials are recycled rather than thrown away.
Other;
Sunlight is not constant
Power plants take up a big space
Cost
Most energy generated loses it's way
Most people don't like to live near a power plant
Plastic cells have a short lifetime, producing waste
Look
It may take years and years for the energy to pay back on the cost of the panels
Breaks down easily
Solar panels help fire spread
Governments around the world have started fundraisers and programs to help, but
when new parties come to power, the programs go BOOM and the programs end
Many photovoltaic are made using rare elements such as indium. No one knows
exactly how much indium is left in the world.
The intensity of concentrating solar power can kill birds and insects that fly into
them

Page| 14

Efforts
Trying to find ways to make PV cells have less chemicals

Page| 15

Arguments

Page| 16

Page| 17

Argument 1; solar heating should be developed further

For
Creates no air pollution
Solar heat is available all over the world and is free
Can be used in many different ways, including making electricity
Can replace energy-consuming appliances, such as cloth dryers
Heat can be stored and released slowly at night
Against
Active solar heating systems use expensive equipment
Heat varies according to location and the time of the year
Equipment will not work at night, or in cloudy conditions

Argument 2; it is worth developing cars powered by photovoltaic cells

For
No polluting fumes
Solar panels can be built on the car itself, or used in a separate unit to charge the
cars batteries
Once the car is bought, the "fuel" that powers it is free
Sunlight is available all over the world, and it will not run out
Against
Electric engines will never be as fast as combustion engines
They are expensive to make
They do not work at night, and are unreliable on cloudy days
Solar cars have to be small and lightweight
There are already so many cars that it would be better to find ways to make
existing ones more environmental friendly

Page| 18

Argument 3; PV power stations have a future

For
Energy sources is free
They are nonpolluting
The technology is reliable because there are few moving parts
PV cells can be used anywhere if there is sunlight
Against
Very expensive to set up
Covers large areas of land
Output falls on cloudy days and stops at night
Efficiency is limited

Argument 4; ambitious solar projects should be encouraged

For
Unique ideas can capture investors` imagination and boost research
A wider range of technology means wider range of solutions for different parts of
the world
It makes sense to experiments with new and innovative ways of using Earth's vast
solar energy reserves
Against
Limited investment funds could be directed to more realistic ideas
Practical and technological difficulties are extensive
Failure to a big project in the public eye could cause doubt about other types of
renewable energy

Page| 19

Argument 5; Solar Cells are a good way to generate electricity

For
Sunlight is available worldwide
sunlight is free
Solar cells are made of small modules, so they can on a small or large scale
Against
Solar cells can only use part of the suns energy
Sunlight is dispersed over a wide area, not concentrated, so its energy is not
focused in one place
cells cannot generate electricity at night, nor can they store sunlight
Energy is wasted as heat when solar cells warm up

Page| 20

Case Studies

Page| 21

Study 1; Rooftop solar

Land near towns and cities is expensive, adding the price of solar plants. A company
called Sunedison has avoided this problem with a clever scheme. It installs
grid-connected solar panels on the roofs of stores for free, and sells the power back to
them at a fixed price. The stores are protected against future electricity price rises, but
do not have to run or maintain the solar panels themselves. For example, has panels
installed in several of it's stores, and now saves 11% annually in electricity bills. Customers
are also attracted to stores that seem "green"

Study 2; solar heaters in Scandinavia

Solar water heaters generally have shorter payback time than PV panels- around one to
two years. In Ballerup, Denmark, six solar collectors provide hot water for 100 families.
Because storage tanks are so large, they can last for weeks at a time. Using solar heater
along with other energy-saving measures, such as insulation, has cut bills by 60%- an and
fossil fuel use has declined so carbon emissions are reduced. However, solar heaters can
only heat water; they cannot make electricity. An electricity supply is needed too, and
often a backup source for heating in the winter. At the moment, this usually comes from
burning fossil fuels. One solution is to use PV panels combined with active solar heating.

Study 3; Hydrogen buses

The California bus company, SunLine, has a fleet of fuel-cell vehicles. Hydrogen is
produced at the depot of using renewable energy sources, including solar power. Fuel cells
make very little noise compared to regular engines, and are less likely to break down. The
only emissions are water and air, because the hydrogen is produced using "clean" power,
and buses produce zero pollution. In addition, battery packs on-board store energy as the
bus breaks. This helps the vehicles to travel up to three farther per gallon than
conventional busses

Page| 22

Amazing Solar Creations

Page| 23

Creation 1; The National Stadium in Kaohsiung, China

Built in: Kaohsiung, China, Unknown
Presented By: Unknown
Facts;
Has 8 844 solar panels on it, covering 14 155 m2
The solar panels can generate 1.14 MILLION kilowatts per hour
If the station was powered by traditional power stations (e.g coal), it would release
660 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air
It is designed in Toyo ,Japan

Creation 2; Helios
Built In: U.S.A. Test flight 2001
Presented by: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Facts;
Was a experimental uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV), which means it is pilotless,
remote controlled
Reached the height of 96 864 feet (29 524 meters)
Named after the Greek sun god
It has 14 propellers, powered by 62 120 photovoltaic cells, spread across the wing
In 2003, it crashed into the Pacific ocean after taking off from Hawaii

Creation 3; The MS Tranor

Built In: Unknown. Unknown
Presented By: Planet Solar (www.planetsolar.org)
Facts;
Has 512m2 of solar panels
Uses 0 Liters of oil and 0 Carbon Emissions
Has 1 electric motor with 60 Kilo Watts a pull
It took about 64 000 hours to build her

Page| 24
Has won 7 GWRs, the European Solar Prize, and the UIM Green Certificate

Page| 25

My Site

Page| 26
Check out my website: www.solarpowercanada.weebly.com