Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing forms of energy. Using power from sun is an ancient practice, although harnessing solar power in the form of photovoltaics to produce electricity is a relatively recent discovery. The space age in the 1950s and 1960s saw a slight increase in production of solar photovoltaics to power spacecrafts, and an oil shortage in the 1970s brought more awareness to alternate energies. Although photovoltaics are currently the most popular form of solar technology, there are other solar technology available – some established, some more experimental, listed here: 1) Concentrating solar power – uses thousands of mirrors to concentrate solar energy to traditional steam turbines or engines to generate electricity. This type of technology needs to be located about 500 acres of land to be cost-effective. 2) Solar heating and cooling – collects thermal energy to be directly used for water heating, space heating and space cooling across many applications. 3) Floating photovoltaics (FPV) – more experimental at this point, this technology uses solar panels that are fixed on top of a buoyant structure in a body of water. While there also may be a huge potential to expand FPV out into open ocean, the costs of these projects are much higher to install and maintain. 4) Printable solar cells – paper thin, these can be used almost anywhere. Instead of silicon, that is used in conventional photovoltaics cells, these printable cells break down organic semiconductor polymers into “solar ink” on a plastic film, which can then generate electricity from light. There are still some major issues to solve before the technology can be commercialized, including a lifespan of only six months and an efficiency of 10%. As these newer forms of solar technology develop and become commercially available, we will likely see many more kinds of solar technology around us.
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