Filed under: News & Trends
Who know industrial solar panels could look so majestic at sunset? Photo: zeenikamal00, Getty RF.
Eco-lingo is being tossed around left and right these days. We're demystifying common terms to help you figure out which words are the real deal... and which are just green jargon.
Today's word: Solar Power
Definition: Anyone who's come back from the beach with baked and blistered shoulders knows how powerful the sun is. So it makes sense that everyone's trying to harness all the energy in an efficient way. Since solar power is a free, plentiful resource that creates no pollution, it makes for a great alternative to traditional energy sources. But how can we contain and take advantage of it?
There's solar cells, which turn sunlight into electricity by absorbing the photons and loosening the electrons. And these cells are the building blocks of solar panels, which produce direct current (DC) to power things like cell phones and cars. And if you run that electricity through an inverter, you can change the current to AC, which will power most of the plug-in appliances in your home.
There's also solar water heaters, which use glass to heat water, and solar furnaces, which use mirrors to direct sunlight to a precise spot until it's about 6,330 degrees Fahrenheit and ready to produce electricity.
You can learn about other types of solar power and developments in the field here.
Verdict: The Real Deal. And you'll hear more and more about it as the technology becomes more affordable and widespread. You may be getting solar panels on your roof sooner than you think!