Solar Week - Ask a Question



Come here during Solar Week (next one: March 22-26, 2021) to interact. To post a question, click on your area of interest from the topics below, and then click on the "Ask New Question" button. Or EMAIL or tweet or plant in Answer Garden your question about the Sun or life as a scientist to us -- and watch for it to appear here.  You can also visit our FAQs (frequently asked questions). In between Solar Weeks in October and March, you can view all the archives here.

PrevPrev Go to previous topic
NextNext Go to next topic
Last Post 3/22/2012 10:50 AM by  Kelly Larson
Solar Energy
 1 Replies
Sort:
You are not authorized to post a reply.
Author Messages

Anonymous





Posts:


--
3/22/2012 9:55 AM
    Hello my name is Jonathan R and I am a 8th grader who goes to the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering and I would like to know why we do not get all our energy from the sun.
    Tags: solar energy

    Kelly Larson



    New Member


    Posts:24
    New Member


    --
    3/22/2012 10:50 AM
    Hi Jonathan,

    Well really, we do, (or most of it, anyway). Fossil fuels are ancient deposits of sunlight. Wind, falling water, and lightning all come from the sun's energy. The more directly we use it though, the easier it is for us to provide our energy needs, and the more sustainable it is. When we use lots of high tech to use it, it costs more.

    That is why it is much less expensive to heat water by putting a panel that has liquid in it in the sun than to convert it to electricity with photovoltaics and then heat it with an electric heater. The equipment is simpler and less costly to purchase, and it is a much more efficient process, (in that we lose less energy in the process).

    You are on to a very powerful idea: If we want to set up an energy collection system for our needs that will work forever, (or until the sun stops shining anyway), we must use the sun as our source. It's the only incoming energy to this planet we have!

    Keep shining, Jonathan,
    Kelly
    You are not authorized to post a reply.


    Twitter Feed

    Scientist Leaderboard

    Name # of replies
    Multiverse skin is based on Greytness by Adammer