Certain facts about solar energy

[Clark11]

All living things on earth depend on solar energy. There would not be any life on earth without solar energy, as even the lowest life forms like plankton and microbes require solar energy for their survival. Solar energy, one of the cleanest and most lucrative renewable energy resources can be used to prepare low cost electricity. Solar energy is highly environment friendly and doesn’t emit carbon or any other poisonous byproducts.

Solar energy can be extracted and used in highly cost effective manner, from wherever we get sunlight. This is one of the cheapest and effective ways to generate electricity for homes and offices. Hence the popularity of solar energy has been increasing day by day. Many companies have started researching for the most lucrative methods to extract solar energy. The details of these are available from the latest solar Energy Industry News reports which are found in the websites of these companies. A close examination of these solar energy news reports will help us to know about the latest developments in solar energy industry and the newest trends in solar energy investment sector.

Do necessary homework and learn more about solar energy and its benefits, before taking a decision. You will surely find that it is the most advantageous method to make low cost electricity for your homes and offices.

[gabelpa]

Current technologies for generating electricity from solar are very environmentally unfriendly. We don't have the technology yet to mass produce efficiet solar cells that do not have a high environmental impact. Yes, once they are made, they are ok, but it is the making of them that is the problem.

It is still better to use solar hot water heating, and generate electricty via nuclear power.

[FunkyTown]

I suspect Clark was a bot. He has logged in, created a single post advertising something called Energy Industry News and left. I bet you don't get a response, Gabs.

[gabelpa]

I know, but I am having a sick day from work, and I am already bored. LOL Don't expect to see a lot of useful contributions from me today.

[Elgama]

love your company too dear

[Blackmarch]

All living things on earth depend on solar energy. There would not be any life on earth without solar energy, as even the lowest life forms like plankton and microbes require solar energy for their survival. Solar energy, one of the cleanest and most lucrative renewable energy resources can be used to prepare low cost electricity. Solar energy is highly environment friendly and doesn’t emit carbon or any other poisonous byproducts.

Solar energy can be extracted and used in highly cost effective manner, from wherever we get sunlight. This is one of the cheapest and effective ways to generate electricity for homes and offices. Hence the popularity of solar energy has been increasing day by day. Many companies have started researching for the most lucrative methods to extract solar energy. The details of these are available from the latest solar Energy Industry News reports which are found in the websites of these companies. A close examination of these solar energy news reports will help us to know about the latest developments in solar energy industry and the newest trends in solar energy investment sector.

Do necessary homework and learn more about solar energy and its benefits, before taking a decision. You will surely find that it is the most advantageous method to make low cost electricity for your homes and offices.

once solar energy and solar heating start having a less cost than burning fossil fuels then they will start taking off. Hence why some companies are racing to be able to make cheap ways of harnessing solar energy.

The other source that the US should start re-investing in, is nuclear.

I'll wait for the moment.

[WindRiver]

Even wind generators are essentially a waste of money. They are not a cost effective or logical way to generate power, yet we continue to spend huge sums of tax payer's money on them at a rather large net loss. Pretty sad when tax dollars are spent based on emotional responses and fear based feelings often grounded in junk science and unproven theories such as "global warming".

The Truth about Alternative Energy

The "green" concept that has to be one of the most ludicrous out there is carbon offsetting. Could someone explain to me how this actually REDUCES carbon emissions? It is a feel good concept that in application does essentially nothing to reduce emissions. It just eases the conscience of the lost and confused .

Edited April 19, 2010 by WindRiver

[marts1]

supposed to get real hot this summer :):)

[NeuroTypical]

All living things on earth depend on solar energy. There would not be any life on earth without solar energy

Except for Chuck Norris.

LM

[Dravin]

All living things on earth depend on solar energy.

Not true, along with Chuck Norris (good catch LM), there are also organisms that live along mid-ocean ridges. Their entire ecosystem is built around the output of hydrothermal vents (called Black Smokers) and the organism that use them as a source of energy. (Black smoker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

Edited April 19, 2010 by Dravin

[Matthew0059]

Not true, along with Chuck Norris (good catch LM), there are also organisms that live along mid-ocean ridges. Their entire ecosystem is built around the output of hydrothermal vents (called Black Smokers) and the organism that use them as a source of energy. (Black smoker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

How hot would the Earth's core be, though, if it hadn't been revolving around the sun for ~1 billion years?

[Dravin]

How hot would the Earth's core be, though, if it hadn't been revolving around the sun for ~1 billion years?

Why is the earth's core so hot? And how do scientists measure its temperature? : Scientific American

The age of the Earth is ~4.5 billion years, not ~1. Are we classifying gravity as solar energy these days*? At least I am assuming you weren't trying to imply that solar energy (what most people mean by it: radiation in the form of light or heat) has been keeping the earth's core nice and toasty like the inside of a car on a hot day.

* I bring this up as it is the closest we can come to pinning the Sun as the source of Earth's core's heat. No gravity and the planets wouldn't have formed and no accretion, but that's kinda a stretch. That'd be like calling nuclear energy solar because uranium wouldn't have ended up on the planet (as there would be no planet) without the sun's influence. Aside: our sun does not produce elements (nucleosynthesis) as heavy as uranium, so it isn't responsible for the presence of uranium that way.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Dravin

[zippy_do46]

supposed to get real hot this summer :):)

Find a shade tree and live in cotton

[Matthew0059]

Why is the earth's core so hot? And how do scientists measure its temperature? : Scientific American

The age of the Earth is ~4.5 billion years, not ~1. Are we classifying gravity as solar energy these days*? At least I am assuming you weren't trying to imply that solar energy (what most people mean by it: radiation in the form of light or heat) has been keeping the earth's core nice and toasty like the inside of a car on a hot day.

* I bring this up as it is the closest we can come to pinning the Sun as the source of Earth's core's heat. No gravity and the planets wouldn't have formed and no accretion, but that's kinda a stretch. That'd be like calling nuclear energy solar because uranium wouldn't have ended up on the planet (as there would be no planet) without the sun's influence. Aside: our sun does not produce elements (nucleosynthesis) as heavy as uranium, so it isn't responsible for the presence of uranium that way.

I'm not a scientist (as is obvious because I underestimated the consensus on the Earth's age)- it was an honest question, though it might not have seemed like it. I was under the impression that roaming planetary bodies, like asteroids or comets, that don't have a solar orbit have sub-zero temperatures almost to the core.

I have no idea if that's accurate.

[Dravin]

Comets and Asteroids lack plate tectonics. The first one for very obvious reasons, the latter because they are both cold and small though size lends itself to some level of heat due to compression (and mass helps slow heat loss). The surface of comets are heated up by the sun just as the surface of the earth is heated up. I don't know if the core of comets and asteroids heat up appreciably, but keep in mind there is a orders of magnitude difference in size between the Earth and Hale Bopp.

Edited April 19, 2010 by Dravin

[Blackmarch]

How hot would the Earth's core be, though, if it hadn't been revolving around the sun for ~1 billion years?

dunno, I don't think that gravitational stresses or solar heating would be effective enough to heat the core significantly. Miles of dirt rock, and really dense rock tends to be an effective insulator.

MOst of the heat theoretically comes from the pressure, heat left over from the creation of the earth, radioctive materials, possibly even a nuclear reaction.

[Blackmarch]

Why is the earth's core so hot? And how do scientists measure its temperature? : Scientific American

The age of the Earth is ~4.5 billion years, not ~1. Are we classifying gravity as solar energy these days*? At least I am assuming you weren't trying to imply that solar energy (what most people mean by it: radiation in the form of light or heat) has been keeping the earth's core nice and toasty like the inside of a car on a hot day.

* I bring this up as it is the closest we can come to pinning the Sun as the source of Earth's core's heat. No gravity and the planets wouldn't have formed and no accretion, but that's kinda a stretch. That'd be like calling nuclear energy solar because uranium wouldn't have ended up on the planet (as there would be no planet) without the sun's influence. Aside: our sun does not produce elements (nucleosynthesis) as heavy as uranium, so it isn't responsible for the presence of uranium that way.

our sun may not be currently creating the heavier elements.. but it does take a sun to make to make them at some point.

Planets can accrete without a sun, it just tends to be highly unlikely.

Far as I know Nuclear energy is considered to be seperate from solar energy... even if ultimately fissionables were produced by a sun, if i recall right one of the reasons is basically the time frame youre looking at, as well as how life is impacted by either.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Blackmarch

[Dravin]

our sun may not be currently creating the heavier elements.. but it does take a sun to make to make them at some point.

Thus the use of the possessive, there are stars out there creating heavier elements, ours does not.

Planets can accrete without a sun, it just tends to be highly unlikely.

I'm not much of an astronomer honestly (or what ever the appropriate term would be), however the sun did play a role in our planet's accretion (even if a strictly speaking unnecessary one), but see below.

Far as I know Nuclear energy is considered to be seperate from solar energy... even if ultimately fissionables were produced by a sun, if i recall right one of the reasons is basically the time frame youre looking at, as well as how life is impacted by either.

I was assuming he wasn't talking about a hot car on a sunny day situation and was stretching to see where he possibly could have been coming from.

Edited April 21, 2010 by Dravin

[ADoyle90815]

Find a shade tree and live in cotton

Linen is also an excellent fabric to wear in hot weather.

[marts1]

Anything good nuff to be baried in will do fine.

[Traveler]

There are problems with switching to what are called “green” energy sources. In the modern world there are two “cheep” energy sources for heating homes. The cheapest form is hydroelectric. Unfortunately hydroelectric is limited to areas where large amounts of water can be stored with a height differential. Thus mostly in mountain areas.

The next cheapest source is natural gas. This is because there is a lot of it. The problems with heating with solar (of various types) and wind (what is called renewable) – is that these methods are not reliable and consistent and therefore require a backup. To provide the infrastructure for “green” energy sources becomes much more expensive because there must be two complete infrastructures provided. Since the second infrastructure is almost always hydroelectric or natural gas there is no savings at all in “green” energy sources. A kilowatt of power costs 5 times as much for “green” energy sources as natural gas. A force government mandate for green energy will currently result in an immediate increase of your electric utility to at least 5 times what it is now before any actual replacement implementations of any kind can take place.

It is a little different if you install green energy sources on your own home because you add that on top of the current energy infrastructure. Currently, very little of the added costs can be regained in the selling of your home.

BTW – solar electric panel manufacturing has all but stopped. This is because the current technology just doubled the efficiency of the panels combining silicon and ceramic technologies. To convert to manufacture the new more efficient panels is a major investment – not popular in a down and struggling economy. And there is an even newer technology being sized for manufacturing (using carbon nano tubes) that is significantly more efficient and expensive but is not ready for mass production. The sad thing is no one knows for sure when it will be ready. End results – no one is willing to lose money on an unproven system that may not work on a large scale or an outdated system that is soon to be replaced.

The Traveler

[Moksha]

Not true, along with Chuck Norris (good catch LM), there are also organisms that live along mid-ocean ridges. Their entire ecosystem is built around the output of hydrothermal vents (called Black Smokers) and the organism that use them as a source of energy. (Black smoker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

However, Chuck Norris could deliver a good roundhouse kick to those hydrothermal organisms.

Is it possible that Chuck Norris is responsible for plate tectonics, slowing the rate of the Earth's gradual cooling or causing the Sun to produce heavier elements through the process of fusion?

[Dravin]

Is it possible that Chuck Norris is responsible for plate tectonics

The hypothesis that plate tectonics are the result of the earth trembling in fear because Chuck Norris strides its surface is a reasonable one.

causing the Sun to produce heavier elements through the process of fusion?

I do believe stars started creating heavier elements in an attempt to emulate Chuck Norris' ability to chew lead and spit out uranium.

Interesting Side Note:

The Big Bang was caused by Chuck Norris' first roundhouse kick, in a most generous act he has promised to forebear from unleashing his full furry again.

[Elphaba]

The hypothesis that plate tectonics are the result of the earth trembling in fear because Chuck Norris strides its surface is a reasonable one.

I do believe stars started creating heavier elements in an attempt to emulate Chuck Norris' ability to chew lead and spit out uranium.

Interesting Side Note:

The Big Bang was caused by Chuck Norris' first roundhouse kick, in a most generous act he has promised to forebear from unleashing his full furry again.

We need a "Rolling My Eyes" button.

Elph

[Iggy]

The hypothesis that plate tectonics are the result of the earth trembling in fear because Chuck Norris strides its surface is a reasonable one.

I do believe stars started creating heavier elements in an attempt to emulate Chuck Norris' ability to chew lead and spit out uranium.

Interesting Side Note:

The Big Bang was caused by Chuck Norris' first roundhouse kick, in a most generous act he has promised to forebear from unleashing his full furry again.

We need a "Rolling My Eyes" button.

Elph

And a Gagging Button. Just finished watching a Chuck Norris flick- not the cowboy or kung fu crap that he is so good being a bad actor in. He is such an awful actor- and his sidekick was even worse - hard to imagine that ANYONE could be worse than Chuckie baby! Give me Bruce Lee, please. At least he has the martial arts down better and with more grace!!!!