What makes solar energy unique

Economies of scale and innovation are already resulting in renewable energies becoming the most sustainable solution, not only environmentally but also economically, for powering the world.

For these reasons, producing electricity through wind energy and its efficient use contributes to sustainable development. This was the headline in the New York Times on 4 April It turned out to be a premonition, since, 80 years later and electricity is being supplied to millions of human beings in the world from renewable energies such as solar.

Humanity has now declared its readiness to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, conscious of the finite nature of fossil fuels and their prejudicial effects on the environment as the main cause of global warming. Solar energy, on the other hand, will never die of shining, since the Sun still has 6. Indeed, in rather less time, solar technology in some countries has evolved to compete with conventional sources of electricity generation.

Additionally, the conditions for the development of solar energy could not be more perfect: the Sun bathes the Earth hourly with enough light and heat to fulfill global needs for a whole year ; in other words, solar radiation can satisfy our energy needs 4, times over. Photovoltaics generate electricity directly from sunlight via an electronic process and can be used to power anything from small electronics such as calculators and road signs up to homes and large commercial businesses.

Solar energy is a very flexible energy technology: it can be built as distributed generation located at or near the point of use or as a central-station, utility-scale solar power plant similar to traditional power plants. Solar exists within a complex and interrelated electricity system in the U. All of these applications depend on supportive policy frameworks at the local, state and federal level to ensure consumers and businesses have fair access to clean energy technologies like solar.

There are nearly gigawatts GW of solar installed in the U. We are working hard to find alternative ways to clean our solar panels. A power generation method that converts energy from the sun into electricity.

Photovoltaic cells in a solar panel turn sunlight into direct current electricity DC. Then, an inverter converts the DC electricity into alternating current electricity AC , and once this process has taken place, the electricity is used, fed into the grid or stored in a battery. Solar power is the crucial future production method in the move to clean energy, and as economies of scale drive prices down, its importance will only increase.

The main advantage is that it is a renewable, clean source of electricity. Solar power is also scalable. The Vanguard 1 -- the first artificial earth satellite powered by solar cells -- remains the oldest manmade satellite in orbit -- logging more than 6 billion miles. Today, demand for solar in the United States is at an all-time high.

The amount of solar power installed in the U. The U. As prices continue to fall, solar energy is increasingly becoming an economical energy choice for American homeowners and businesses.