We all have firsthand experience with the Sun and solar energy. We are aware that the air around us is warmer when the sun is out during the day than when it is obscured at night. We understand that the weather gets warmer during parts of the year where there are more hours of sunlight, and when the sun rises higher in the sky. Conversely, the weather gets cooler when the sun shines for fewer hours and doesn’t rise as high in the sky. Intuitively we know that the sun is responsible for most of the natural energy that drives our planet. It seems a natural question to ask: “Can we harness solar energy to make our lives easier?” The answer, as you probably know, is yes. The solar energy given off by the sun can be harnessed and converted into power useful for any number of tasks. This article will attempt to explain how solar power works and how it could affect the future of society, and indeed your very own future.

Light, or electromagnetic radiation, is a form of energy. The sun, being so large and powerful, emits particularly energetic light. The most common way of converting the sun’s light energy into useful power or electricity is by using photovoltaic cells or PVCs. In brief, these cells work by conducting the sun’s energy throughout the cell, which knocks electrons loose. Flowing electrons are essentially what we think of as electricity, so enough of these cells can generate quite a bit of electricity when they are exposed to sunlight. As you might imagine, solar energy is totally renewable. In other words, it is essentially available for free; we simply need the devices to harness it. Solar power results in zero carbon emissions. Since scientists estimate that the sun will continue to shine for at least another four billion years, we can be sure that the sun will provide plenty of free energy for the foreseeable future.

Using solar energy is becoming a more and more realistic option for many applications. Solar power has long been used to run satellites in space. It has been used in rural areas with limited or no access to traditional power grids, and it has been used for street lighting and railway crossings. Increasingly in recent years, people have been able to use solar power around the house to supplement the power they obtain from the traditional power grid. Solar power has been found to be very efficient for space heating, water heating, outdoor lighting, and general electricity needs. PVC arrays are becoming more affordable as time passes and as solar technology increases. Currently there is a wide selection of companies offering solar power packages geared toward homes and small businesses. Going forward, it appears that solar power will prove to be one of the most efficient, affordable and eco-friendly forms of alternative energy available to the consumer looking to save money while reducing his or her carbon footprint.

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At present the products manufactured with nanotechnology techniques represent 2.5 billion dollars worldwide, double the Gross Domestic Product of many countries and account for 15 percent of the market.

The research in solar energy and medicine are the most promising and competitive choices for nanotechnology, according to the Prince of Asturias Prize Winner in Science and Technology Emilio Mendez, who has participated in the Forum for Future Challenges (FTF, in short) of the Innovation Foundation Bankinter.

The field of nanotechnology (research at the level of atoms and molecules) is one of the scientific challenges of the future that will deliver applications in a decade. “Nanotechnology will have an impact on all economic sectors,” said the vice president for its part of the Innovation Foundation Bankinter, Charlie Lo.

However, countries would not make sense investing in nanotechnology applied to microelectronics, because the industry is very competitive and there are already great leaders, but in areas in which a particular country stands out such as solar energy, medicine and even the textile industry. “In developed countries, where labor is expensive, the only way to compete is in innovation, but because we will be in a few years subsidiary of Chinese companies,” said the prize winner.

Nanotechnology involves the practical application of science of the very small and the knowledge of how the small-scale materials behave. “As the size of the materials are so small, the properties change, as happens when a sugar cube when crunched, it occupies a larger surface area,” he added. Among the applications of nanotechnology are markers of bacteria or chemical tracer compound drugs, bulbs that do not lose heat, energy conductors made of carbon nanofibers which do not lose electricity, or tissues that do not wrinkle or stain.

Solar energy and health

The European Commission charged against the “shortcomings” in the labeling of sunscreen products and proposed a series of non-binding recommendations, which would apply for manufacturers to adopt a “standard, simple and understandable” on the EU market.

“Currently there are no uniform rules and consumers faced with a series of numbers and advertising slogans that are confusing and sometimes misleading, “which can be” dangerous “for health, said the spokesman for Business and Industry, Gregor Kreuzhuber.

Most of them show ’sun protection factor, “which refers mainly to UVB (causing burns) from the solar energy, but not UVA rays (which increase the risk of cancer and contribute to the aging of the skin) , stressed the EU executive. Each producer describes this protection in different ways.

To eliminate confusion and discrepancies, Brussels proposes that every manufacturer shows a uniform protection against the solar power UVA as standardized test methods. Moreover, the ban aims to give expression leading to believe a total sun protection from the solar energy (like ‘Sunblock’, or ‘full screen’), believing that it does not exist.

Finally, the label should include clear and understandable instructions for the user to know how to properly use the solar product. For example, insist that it requires the implementation of large quantities and frequent applications to achieve the necessary protection.

Want to Start Making Solar Power at Home? Check out these instructions for building your own solar power. Includes videos, ebook, diagrams, and all the plans you need to get off the power grid and start saving some green while going green.