Solar energy is a renewable energy source that converts radiant light energy into electric current. The most common way to harness solar energy is through an array of solar panels and storage batteries. Solar-powered homes can maintain a power supply for appliances and heating/cooling systems, and hospitals are also adopting solar energy as a backup source. The cost of solar energy systems has significantly decreased, making them more affordable and efficient.
Solar energy is an alternative energy source which involves the exploitation of radiant light energy emitted by the sun and its conversion into electric current. Since the mid-20th century, the ability to harness and use solar energy has greatly increased, allowing homes and businesses to use the renewable energy source rather than relying on more conventional means of power generation. Research into solar energy applications continues, along with the development of more cost-effective ways to capture and store energy for future use.
Currently, the most common means of harnessing solar energy is the use of a system that includes an array of solar panels and storage batteries. The panels collect radiant light and store the captured energy in batteries. While energy is stored, it can also be used in real time to operate various types of machinery and appliances. The excess is stored for use at night or in other situations where radiant light is not readily available for some reason.
In a solar-powered home, the batteries are now capable or maintain a power supply that will keep appliances like stoves, refrigerators, computers, and entertainment devices like televisions running. At the same time, the solar-powered home can also use stored energy to heat and cool the home or run a water heater. Some homes today use a hybrid power system that supplements the use of solar energy with energy provided by a traditional electrical grid. While your home isn’t completely dependent on solar power, this type of system can keep your bills to a minimum and provide an excellent backup system should a section of the local power grid fail.
Along with homes, healthcare facilities are becoming increasingly open to the idea of solar energy as an energy source in an emergency situation. This would allow a hospital to continue operating even if the power goes out for some reason and a backup generation system is unable to meet the current energy demand.
Once considered extremely expensive to build and install, the price of solar energy systems is significantly lower than in the last decades of the 20th century. In addition to being more affordable, new solar power systems are also much more efficient than previous generations, which helps them be more attractive to homeowners and business owners alike.
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