Introduction to Solar Energy
New Resource: See Solar in Action |
Many different design techniques (passive solar) and technologies (active solar) are used to collect the sun’s energy. Some ways to use the sun have been practiced for centuries. Buildings use passive solar design to capture heat during colder weather and block it during warmer weather, and provide natural lighting for their occupants. This use of solar energy minimizes the need for fuel-powered heat and electricity and is a cornerstone of energy efficient buildings.
Solar energy can also provide this heat and power more directly through active solar technologies, which capture sunlight and use its energy to produce heat or electricity. Solar heating technologies can warm a building, heat water, or even create steam for use in industrial processes. Solar thermal technologies generate steam to power utility scale electric generators. Solar photovoltaic technology (or PV for short) uses the electrical properties of certain materials to convert solar energy into usable electricity. For reasons ranging from its environmental benefits to its scale and accessibility, this technology's promise of clean electricity has gained much attention in recent decades.
Pictured here: This 13.2 kW (DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) installation on the BJ's Wholesale Club, Stoneham, MA, was co-funded by the Renewable Energy Trust. BJ's is participating in an electric utility congestion relief study with NStar Electric. The electric output of the solar installation will be correlated to the load on the local electric grid to demonstrate how PV can be deployed in load constrained areas to help prevent brown-outs during hot, sunny weather.
This introduction to solar energy focuses on solar photovoltaic technology as a renewable energy source, though basic information and plenty of links are provided on other uses of the sun's energy. Here is a summary of the solar information included on this website:
Learn about Solar Energy
As background to understanding how photovoltaics and other technologies use the sun's energy, the Power of the Sun explains the basics of the sun’s energy and how it reaches the Earth.
The human uses of solar energy can be divided into several broad categories. You can learn more about Passive Solar Design, Solar Heating, and Solar Thermal Electric technologies.
To understand how solar energy has been used in the past, the History of Solar Energy outlines solar inventions and innovations developed throughout human history.
Learn About Photovoltaics
You can learn how photovoltaic technology works, as well as its applications and issues surrounding its current use:
The Science Behind Photovoltaics
Photovoltaic Technology
The Photovoltaic Panel
How Many Panels Do I Need to Power...
Installing an Array to Maximize Efficiency
Connecting the Array to a Load
Where Photovoltaics are Used Today
Photovoltaic Use in Massachusetts
Benefits and Barriers for Photovoltaics