There are three main uses of solar energy: photovoltaic, photosynthetic and solar thermal. Photovoltaic applications use sunlight to produce electricity. With photosynthesis chemical reactions are induced by sunlight. In solar thermal processes heat is used in various ways.
Photovoltaic uses of solar energy
Solar cells or solar panels can be used to convert solar energy into electricity. The produced electricity can be used like any other form of electricity, e.g. to run stationary devices like TVs or washing machines, or to charge mobile devices like mobile phones or cars. However, an increasing amount of mobile devices are being developed that can directly use photovoltaic effects to run or charge the device.
Photosynthetic uses of solar energy
Plants and some bacteria can use sunlight to synthesise carbohydrates, which in turn are used for growing the organism and keeping it alive. By eating vegetables or animals who feed on vegetables we make indirect use of solar energy. The same is true by using biomass fuels or fossil fuels. More recently fuels and other products could even be created by using artificial photosynthesis.
Solar thermal uses of solar energy
Of course heat can be used directly, for example to heat a building, pool or glasshouse. However, there are countless other ways to use heat. For example, light can be concentrated by mirrors or lenses for cooking or running a heat engine (steam turbine, Stirling engine). A heat engine can again be used to produce electricity. Heat can also be used to ventilate, humidify or even cool a building because it can move air and water. In a much bigger context this leads to another form of using solar energy indirectly: wind turbines.
Apart from these three general ways of harnessing the Sun’s power it is also possible to use a combination of them or other effects. For example this is the case with water disinfection, which can be done using electricity, heat or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Even direct use of sunlight, i.e. simply to light a place or a building should not be forgotten.
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