An Ultimate Resource
The ultimate source of energy is the sun. Humans have only been able to capture a meager portion (about 0.02%) of this energy. Throughout history, including the recorded and the pre-historic times, the use of the sun's energy has been common. In olden days, homes were constructed in spots which offered maximum exposure to the sun. Then, in the middle ages, the sun's energy was used for more advanced purposes such as the distillation of water and cooking food. Today, solar energy has been recognized as an unexploited natural resource, and due to its potential benefits, people have begun to explore what they can get from solar energy.
Today, solar power is used in many large and small scale applications for everything - heating and cooling of homes and buildings, creating domestic hot water, treating water and sewage, cooking, mass electrical production, and even to operate different modes of transportation such as cars and airplanes.
Cost effective Mode
Though the initial costs of setting up a solar energy generation plant could be a little costly, this cost would prove to be a once in a lifetime expense. This is because there are very little costs involved in the upcoming period of time. Solar hot water panels have been greatly improved in recent years, thus they only require minimum maintenance rarely. With lower costs, you can reach the full value for your domestic system in a time period that is as short as five years.
Infinite Resource
The sun is the constant producer of solar energy. Its energy is trapped within its rays because that's the thing that reaches our earth. The earth is constantly receiving radiations from the sun. Thus, this never-ending energy source is abundant. Even in winter, we receive some amount of sunlight. It's true that we don't get a sunny day each day, but radiations from the sun are still reaching the earth.
Environmentally Friendly
The biggest issue today, which has kept scientists on their toes, is global warming. This problem can result in extreme consequences and climatic changes. Scientists attribute the green house effect to be a major cause of global warming. Green house gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are a major byproduct of energy generation procedures which use conventional non renewable energy sources (coal, oil, etc.). Solar energy, on the other hand, is famous as a clean resource. It also does not require the burning of fossil fuels, and neither does it emitted any hazardous gases.
A Substitute
The world extensively relies on oil for power generation and other energy needs. But this resource could easily be depleted within a short span of around 40 years leaving this world in huge energy crises. However, there is tremendous research going on to find an appropriate substitute. The shift from oil towards any other consumable resource could reach a dead end, as that resource will also be consumed with time. As opposed to this, the challenges and risks posed by the solar energy would be short lived.
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Best of luck
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