Solar energy is taken from sunlight and is therefore a renewable resource that has the potential to last for billions of years. It can be utilized in a variety of ways such as the production of heat, the generation of electricity and the desalination of sea water. It provides a clean source of energy that produces no emissions likely to contribute to global warming.

In the home, solar heating systems can be used for domestic hot water needs, and to heat homes and swimming pools and are made up of solar thermal collectors, a storage tank, and a circulation loop. Solar cooking can be achieved using an insulated solar box cooker and is particularly useful in developing countries.

Perhaps the oldest use of solar power is the passive lighting of buildings through the strategic use of windows, skylights, and light tubes, for example. Daylight saving time can also be considered a form of solar power utilization.

Solar cells (photovoltaic cells) use semiconductor technology to derive electricity from sunlight. The most prevalent use of this is in low power devices with LCDs, like calculators, for example.

Solar thermal energy can also be generated by concentrating solar power on a heat exchanger. There are a more…