Research Paper on Solar Power - includes work cited

Solar Power

        For millions of years the sun has wrapped the world in it's warmth and light, providing the necessities for life. Even now we are still finding many uses for the massive amount of energy the sun produces. Light travels to the earth in about eight seconds and is filled with little packets of energy called photons, which make utalizing this solar power possible.

        There are three main ways to collect solar power. The first two are called passive system and active system. These use the sun's energy to heat up an object which can be transferred to another object or an empty space. An active system's power can even be turned into electricity. An even better way to get electricity from the sun is achieved by panels called photovoltaic cells. The sunlight is directly converted into electricity by the panels and can run almost anything, sunlight providing. These three different techniques show us that there can be many different ways to acquire power other than the conventional and hazardous methods we use today. Passive heating, thermal energy, and photovoltaics give the world many different ways to reap the benefits of solar power.

        Passive heating is one of the most common and free ways to heat a house. It only requires common knowledge of the sun and how heat can be captured and stored. For example, a greenhouse works because the sun passing through the windows is trapped when it tries to escape. These types of principles are the basics to passive heating. Special window panes, wall, floors, roofs, and other materials are all called thermal mass. These also play a major role in passive heating because a certain material may hold heat better than another. Bricks and stones are often used because of their heat retention. They will...