Solar energy is converting the suns rays by collecting usable energy from the light of the Sun. Solar energy has been used for hundreds of years and has come into use throughout the world where other power supplies are unavailable.
There have been many devices produced to make use of solar radiation, like providing light and heat, while others produce electricity. Buildings have been designed to use solar energy which maintains the temperature throughout the year.
Solar Water Hating Systems use sunlight to heat water.
They may be used to heat your water in your home or office, and is capable of heating swimming pools. Solar Systems like these are made up of solar thermal collectors, a storage tank and a circulation loop.
Another use for solar energy is a trombe wall. It is made up of air channels and a ventilation system separated between a window and a wall facing the sun. The sun heats the air space during the day which is stored in a thermal mass. During the night the stored heat is released to heat the building.
Solar Cells which are also called photovoltaic cells are devices that use the photovoltaic effect of semiconductors to generate electricity directly from solar energy. One cost effective use has been in very low-power devices that have small solar panels installed Due to the high cost of production, their use has been limited. A third use has been in powering orbiting satellites and spacecraft.
Solar energy is just one type of renewable energy that we must look into replacing fossil fuels for domestic use that in our life time will be expended.