Outline of solar energy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to solar energy:

Solar energy – radiant light and heat from the sun. It has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar energy technologies include solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity and solar architecture, which can make considerable contributions to solving some of the most urgent problems the world now faces.

What type of thing is solar energy?

Solar energy can be described as all of the following:

Sunlight

History of solar energy

Conversion of solar energy

Solar power – the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP).

Solar thermal energy

Solar thermal energy (STE) – technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat).

Concentrated solar power

Concentrated solar power – a system that uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electrical power is produced when the concentrated light is converted to heat, which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator.

Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics 

Photovoltaic system

Photovoltaic system 

Solar cells
System components
System concepts

Photovoltaic power stations

Photovoltaic power station 

Experimental proposed solar power

Economics and politics of solar power

Solar power by country

Solar energy distribution

Storage of solar energy

  • Thermal mass – a concept in building design regarding how the mass of the building provides "inertia" against temperature fluctuations, sometimes known as the thermal flywheel effect.
  • Seasonal thermal energy storage - a collection of technologies for storing sensible heat, and large storages are capable of storage between opposing seasons with acceptably small heat losses. Technologies include: (1) Aquifer thermal energy storage, involving from a doublet of injection and extraction wells (each half being one or more wells) in a deep, contained aquifer; (2) A mass of native geological stratas (gravel, bedrock, etc.), thermally accessed via a cluster of small-diameter, heat exchanger equipped boreholes typically several hundred feet deep; (3) gravel/water-filled shallow pits, lined and top-insulated; and (4) large tank built on the surface, insulated and covered with earth berms.
  • Phase change material – a substance with a high heat of fusion which, melting and solidifying at a certain temperature, is capable of storing and releasing large amounts of energy. Heat is absorbed or released when the material changes from solid to liquid and vice versa; thus, PCMs are classified as latent heat storage (LHS) units.

Applications of solar energy

Agriculture

Appliances

Building

Lighting

Process heat

Solar cooking

Solar disinfection

Solar-powered desalination

Solar water heating

Solar-powered transport

Land transport

Air transport

Water transport

Solar vehicle racing

Persons influential in solar energy

See also

References

  1. Solar Energy in Israel, David Faiman for the Jewish Virtual Library.
  2. Bright ideas, Ehud Zion Waldoks, Jerusalem Post, October 1, 2008.
  3. At the Zenith of Solar Energy, Neal Sandler,BusinessWeek, March 26, 2008.

External links

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