We live in the age where the amount of source of energy is plentiful. But there is one source of energy that hasn’t quite been fully harnessed yet, and that is solar energy.
Known to us from the beginning as the most significant source of energy, it was only until 1878 that the sun’s heat was successfully used in means to maximise productivity.
Augustin Mouchot, a 19th-century French inventor most known for his work in mathematics and physics, invented an engine that converted solar energy to mechanical energy at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
From then on, solar energy has been used in many ways, some of the more iconic means being space expeditions and discovery of alien life, resources and galaxies.
Because of the rapid depletion of fossil fuel and some experts even theorising that the world has surpassed peak oil, it seems like there will soon be a dire need for alternate resources that are renewable and replenishable.
This is why scientists have started working hard to avoid the alarming ramifications of a world without fuel by trying to find ways to harness the energy of the sun better.
The use of solar energy is not only beneficial in an energy saving point of view, but it’s also helpful in saving money. Since the generation of power by means of fossil fuels and hydroelectricity have led to the excessive production of energy, this had led to the people being charged more money than they should be in order to recuperate the costs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umyvqxDOIhs
Overcharging is one aspect the people are protected from when using solar energy as the only electricity that is being used is being harnessed directly from the sun hence, reducing the wastage of power.
The popularity of solar energy has only lead to small businesses and homes using them. But this has been in steady increase as the use of solar panels and solar power in homes has only risen 20% annually in the past five years.
A better-justified reason for the increase in popularity can be primarily attributed to the fact that the costs of solar panels have decreased almost 50% when compared to the cost of solar panels in the year 2008.
Emily Cummins, a Leeds University graduate, has found an innovative way to harness solar energy; by the invention of the solar-powered refrigerator. The invention of the solar-powered refrigerator can not only reduce the wastage of conventionally generated energy but also provide refrigeration to people in areas that have no access to electricity.