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Solar Energy
Energy from the sun is our planet's greatest source of energy. Solar energy can be used in two ways, passively and actively. Passive solar energy is used mainly through the position and the design of buildings to best take advantage of the sun. Active solar energy requires the installation of special equipment. There are two types of active solar systems: photovoltaics (PV) and thermal.
Photovoltaics, or PV, is a solar energy technology that uses solar cells or solar photovoltaic arrays to convert light from the sun into electricity
The thermal solar power plant concentrates the sun's heat energy into heat conductors that transfer the energy to conventional steam turbine engines.
There are also some large solar power stations in the world. Nine are located in the sunny deserts of southern California. These systems collect sunlight using trough collectors that are lined with mirrors. The mirrors tilt to follow the sun. The sunlight is focused on an oil or water-filled pipe that runs down the trough. The fluid heats water that produces steam that turns a turbine to generate electricity. Another type of solar power station is Solar Two, also located in the California desert. It is a solar power tower more than 250 feet high. It is surrounded by 1,800 flat, mirrors that tilt to reflect the Sun's light onto the tower. The tower contains a container of liquid salt which boils from the intense heat and generates steam that is used to turn a generator and produce
A family from California never pays over $2.00 per month on power thanks to their solar panel system. Check out their amazing home entirely powered by the sun.
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