In my last post, I mentioned about nuclear power energy as the new fossil fuel alternative. So, today I would be talking about solar energy. Solar energy is another wonderful fossil fuel alternative as it is straight coming from the sun rays. Sun is never going to be extinct and we can produce energy from sun rays very easily. The heat produced from the sun rays are more than enough to satisfy the entire planet’s energy need.
Benefits of solar energy:
Though all the fossil fuel is available under the earth’s crust but its not free of cost. The way humans have already dug out the natural resources in the past, we are already running out of it. But sun rays are limitless and we can easily convert it into energy.
1. Solar energy is applicable almost everywhere. There’s no place on earth where sun rays are unavailable. In the polar regions, sun is up for 6 months and moon is up for the next 6 months due to its revolution around the sun. But still its not impossible to produce solar energy.
2. Solar energy provides high quality grid security. In many regions of the world, people who are living in tiny homes, are using solar energy. This off-the-grid energy option not only made the humans self sufficient, but also making a huge change in the environment around themselves.
3. If any country is setting up multiple solar energy plants, they can create lot of employment options for the young generation. Setting up the solar panels are one time investment for the electricity producers and can easily hire people to take care of it.
4. Electricity get lost when it’s long distance. The distance between the producers and the supply points can make a huge difference. The longer the distance, the higher the lose of electricity. Almost 3-5% of electricity gets lost in this chain. The government can easily save up that electricity if solar energy is being produced and used in abundance,
5. Generally the strength of the sun rays are pretty much high between 11 am and 4 pm in most of the places of the world. So the producers can easily utilise those hours to turn sun rays into electricity. The sun rays are available in abundance and are free of cost, so there will be no dearth of it in near future like coal, crude oil, etc.
6. Solar energy is one of the easiest available fossil fuel alternative which has the least negative impact on the planet. It does not spread pollution in any way and also does not produce any green house gases.
7. Nowadays, cars driven by solar energy are also getting noticed in the market. Brands like, Squad, Tesla, Light Year and so on are revolutionising the automotive market by being innovative and environment friendly.
8. Since solar energy is absolutely renewable, there will never be a dearth of this power. Sun rays will always be available and won’t take long for the humans to convert it into electricity. The maintenance cost is highly low compared to other fossil fuels. Nanotechnology and quantum physics are also increasing their effectiveness by utilising solar energy.
10 best solar power stations in India:
1. Bhadla Solar Park, Rajasthan
2. Pavagada Solar Park, Karnataka
3. Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, Andhra Pradesh
4. NP Kunta, Andhra Pradesh
5. Rewa Ultra Mega Solar, Madhya Pradesh
6. Charanka Solar Park, Gujarat
7. Kamuthi Solar Power Project, Tamil Nadu
8. Ananthapuramu – II, Andhra Pradesh
9. Galiveedu solar park, Andhra Pradesh
10. Mandsaur Solar Farm, Madhya Pradesh
Future of solar energy:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States of America declared that they could provide 45% of electricity through solar energy by 2050. In the coming decades, the production cost and technological advancement of solar energy will be somewhat defined by the wind and energy too. Just like sun rays, wind is also limitless and electricity can be produced from wind too. In many countries, specially in Europe, windmills are installed near to the ocean and in the valleys, where the wind flow never stops. The wind flow helps the windmills to convert into energy.
Solar energy is quite affordable because installing solar panels is a one-time investment. You just need to install it once but you can look at the benefits for life long. They also opined that, the numbers in solar driven vehicles are also increasing. The technology is fast pacing and by 2050, almost 25% of the world vehicles would be replaced by the solar vehicles. Many people who live off-the-grid, can also replace their cooking options to solar energy. They won’t be needing propane gas anymore, and they can easily use induction cooker operated by solar energy.
As it is a limitless source of energy, it would never damage the planet, rather it would reboot our planet. In South India, I have noticed solar panels installed in many houses to operate their water pumps. It’s off-the-grid and they don’t need electrical connections from the government provided electricity. The machines can easily function with the solar panels’ electricity.