solar wind

Examples of solar wind in the following topics:

• Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis

  • The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and then are directed by the Earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere.
  • In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), named by Pierre Gassendi in 1621 after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas.
  • They are ionized or excited by the collision of solar wind and magnetospheric particles (such as high energy protons and electrons) funneling down and accelerating along the Earth's magnetic field lines.
  • The solar wind consists of free, high-energy electrons and protons that originate at the sun.

• Establishing Why Your Claims Matter

  • The case for solar power's superiority to wind power needs a real-world example to support it: "Currently, our state spends more money on developing wind power than it does on solar power.
  • However, investing in solar energy would be more effective than investing in wind power, since solar technology would be simpler to implement on a widespread basis.
  • It is much easier to install a flat solar power on a roof than it is to build an obtrusive wind turbine.
  • Practically speaking, solar power has more potential to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels than wind power.
  • The U.S. government should increase its investments in solar energy, and decrease its investments in wind energy. " This passage explains a specific advantage of solar energy and infers a general recommendation from that evidence.

• New Sources of Energy

  • Two of the best known and least scientifically controversial new energy sources are solar power and wind power.
  • Both involve harnessing the power of naturally occurring events-- sunlight and wind-- and converting them into electric power through solar panels or wind turbines .
  • Particularly in the case of wind farms, there is often extensive community consultation prior to construction in order to address potential aesthetic and environmental impacts.
  • These wind turbines exemplify one type of a new and alternative energy source.

• "So What?"

  • Imagine that you are revising your solar energy essay with an audience of environmentalists in mind.
  • What should you do with evidence that affirms solar energy's value, but is not related to the environment?
  • Solar energy is significantly more efficient than wind power per kilowatt-hour. "
  • Solar energy can meet more of our energy needs than wind power, so every dollar we invest in solar energy reduces our need to use fossil fuels more than a dollar invested in wind power does. "
  • The second version tells your environmentally-conscious readers why they should care about solar power: it can replace more fossil fuels than wind power can.

• Payback, ROI and renewable energy

  • This is not the case with wind, sunlight and many other renewable energy sources.
  • With renewable energy (e.g. wind and sunlight), however, after the expense of conversion machinery is paid for, the electricity or heat obtained is free of charge (minus the cost of maintenance and disposal) while non-renewables maintain the constant expenses associated with: continuous extraction and refinement, waste treatment, maintenance and disposal, and related environmental disasters and healthcare costs.
  • To determine payback or ROI… Imagine that a factory pays €10,000 annually to purchase electricity from a coal-burning power plant – and that the cost of equipment (wind turbines or solar voltaics) that can transform sunlight or wind into the same amount of electricity is €50,000.

• New Energy Sources

  • Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat, which are all naturally replenished.
  • New renewables (small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels) account for another 3% and are growing very rapidly.
  • The use of wind power is increasing at an annual rate of 20%.
  • Since 2004, photovoltaics (solar cells) surpassed wind as the fastest growing energy source, and since 2007, the use of solar power has more than doubled every two years.
  • In addition, solar thermal power stations, which are power plants that generate electricity from the heat of the sun's rays, operate in the USA and Spain.

• Green Architecture: The Future of Architecture

  • Active solar devices such as photovoltaic solar panels help to provide sustainable electricity for any use.
  • Electrical output of a solar panel is dependent on orientation, efficiency, latitude, and climate—solar gain varies even at the same latitude.
  • Passive solar design varies based on climate.
  • In warmer climates, low energy designs require the use of solar shading, by means of awnings, blinds or shutters, to relieve the solar heat gain and reduce the need for artificial cooling.
  • Other ways to incorporate renewable energy include wind turbines or smaller wind systems, solar water heaters, and ground-source heaters.

• Energy Policy

  • However, wind power in the United States is a growing industry.
  • Increases in wind, solar, and geothermal power are expected to allow renewable energy production to double in the three-year period from 2009 to 2012, an increase from 8% to 14% of total consumption.
  • Most of the increase is expected to come from wind power.
  • The Brazos Wind Farm, also known as the Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm, near Fluvanna, Texas.
  • Some of the solar radiation passes through the atmosphere.

• Energy Consumption

  • According to this study, hydroelectricity produces the lowest CO2 emissions, wind produces the second lowest CO2 emissions, nuclear energy produces the third lowest, and solar photovoltaic produces the fourth lowest.
  • The study also found that the environmental and health costs of nuclear power, per unit of energy delivered, was €0.0019/kWh, which was found to be lower than that of many renewable sources including biomass and photovoltaic solar panels.
  • The energy source with the lowest associated external environmental and health costs was wind power at €0.0009/kWh.
  • A wind turbine is a device that converts the natural kinetic energy from the wind into electrical power.
  • Wind turbines provide a green source of alternative energy, as opposed to the burning of fossil fuels which contributes to climate change.

• Solar cell facts

  • Solar cells do not require direct sunlight to operate.
  • Solar energy offers a one-time capital expense.
  • Solar cells last a long time.
  • Many solar cells produced in the 1970s still function to this day.
  • Lab testing has shown that under the right conditions solar cells can last up to 40 years or more (although the energy output of solar voltaics usually decreases over time).