C.Kosky+&+L.Hensbee+Energy+Water+Wiki

= __Energy And Water Wiki Project__ =


 * The main problem that we have to face is the amount of fresh water and energy left to use. Nothing has been discovered yet that could take the place of energy or fresh water. Although many people understand that we are running out of these important sources most of us choose to sit here and watch the earth change for the worst. There are things that people could easily fit into their daily lives that could help preserve energy and water. But first, we need to all decide on the best way to begin acheiving our goal towards another source of energy and water. There are many options out there to choose from, but how do we know which will work when we need it the most? We need to test and retest each posibility until we can come up with a system that will change our dependency on foreign oil into a self sufficiant power source that will not create a hazardous environment.**

One of the most effective new ways to generate heat is by solar power. Over the past thirty years, our oil supply has been running on almost empty in the middle east. One of the biggest problems facing our generation is what we will use for an energy source when all of the fossil fuels run out. When we as a world began using fossil fuels to create power, we went crazy with it. Not looking at when the fuel may run out, we have ignored the problem and left it to future generations. Now, as the one fuel we use is quickly depleating, we have a hurried need to create a new, cleaner and renewable source of power. Many scientists have looked upon other energy scouces such as hydro power, nuclear fission, nuclear fussion, wind power, and hydrogen fuel. Although, scientists are only a small population of the world and people, as a whole could be doing a ton more to conserve energy while we are trying to come up with a solution to our worldwide problem.

While we are all waiting for the brilliant inventors of our generation to come up with a new energy scouce, we can do some things in the meantime to improve our carelessness with power. One step is to shut off the lights in a room when you leave. If everyone shut off the unneeded lights in a room the energy we would conserve would be huge. Another step is to shut off your computer when you are not using it. Others include replacing old windows and installing or replacing the insulation in a house to keep the heat in. In this way we can reduce the amount of energy we use by almost half. Finally you can do things such as carpool, use "energy star" appliances that use up to half the power of normal appliances, and buy producs from companies that try and conserve energy.

So how does solar power work? Specialy designed panals catch the suns rays and transform it into electrical energy that can power anything from small homes to huge businesses. On a more intense scale, photovoltaic (PV) cells convert light energy into electrical energy.Most commercial PV cells are made from silicon which is a semiconductor. Semiconductors are able to absorb the light that comes form the sun's rays and transform it into a diffferent type of energy that we can power machines and buisnesses with. With pure silicon, all the electrons are locked into the crystaline structure and cannot move around. The silicon in a solar cell is changed slightly so that it will work as a solar cell with the addition of impurities. Most of the cell is material where a small amount of positive particles are added to the silicon the remaining silicon is created on the cell with negative donors in order to facilitate the movement of electrons, the electricity carriers. When the light hits the solar cell it makes the electrons move across the boundry and creates an electric current which can be drawn from the generator and used to produce light in homes and other buildings. Solar power replaces alot of CO2 that would be emmited into the atmosphere by regular factories. Just one solar power plant would replace 338,905 pounds of CO2 annually. Inventors are already starting to build solar powered water purification devices. One such device is the MaxPure. This portable device is capable of purifing up to 30,000 gallons of portable water daily. If this is just one invention made so far, using only one solar panal, imagine how many gallons huge solar power plants can generate.

The best aspects of solar power are clear for all to see. Solar power does not use any fossil fuels and does not depleat any environmental rescources. It also comes from the sun, which is, as far as we know, going to stick around for a very long time. Each day the sun's rays can shine on the solar panals and no matter how bright the sun is, it will still generate energy. Placing Sloar panals in hot, unshaded areas is not a problem for many places on this earth. Above all, it can replace our dependancy on foreign oil and when that oil runs out, we will have another scorce of power that is much stronger and more dependable. It is accesable from all places on the earth and will not start any wars since it is equally provided to all.

Solar power is a good way to generate or purify water because it's a good source of heat. When water needs to be separated from salt the mixture needs to be heated so the water evaporates and then it is moved and condenst into other containers. Solar hot water heating can be used to provide up to 70% of annual hot water needs for homes, it can also be used for commercial buildings. Another example is at the Pheonix Federal Correctional Institution they find it's cheaper to use solar energy to create fresh water the solar hot water system produces up to 50,000 gallons of water daily, enough to meet the needs of 1,250 inmates and staff who use the facility.

Solar power is clean source of energy that does not cause pollute or contribute to global warming. Another positive aspect of solar energy is that it seems that there is an endless supply of solar energy because it comes from the sun. From a political standpoint if the U.S. took full advantage of solar power than we would not be as dependent on foreign governments which supply us with oil. Solar energy can also power area lighting to enable more outdoor activities after dark or improve security, and to illuminate signs or advertising boards. One problem with solar energy is that sunlight is not as avaliable in colder regions where it is needed the most. Another critict might say that the conversion of one source of power to another will take alot of planning, time and money. Solar energy has been the power supply of choice for industrial applications, where power is required in remote locations. Solar power is also frequently used for transportation signaling.

Solar power energy may not always be the cheapest or easiest to arrange but they are defenitaly the cleanest. Solar energy plants work almost the same as solar water heating systems, except that instead of the heat being used it is transformed into electricity. In order to run a sloar energy plant, many, many solar panals are needed. The amount of sunlight that arrives at the earth's surface is not constant. It depends on location, time of day, time of year, and weather conditions. Because the sun doesn't deliver that much energy to any one place at any one time, a large surface area is required to collect the energy at a useful rate.

__Some Quotes from Scientists/Policy makers__ As the technology for solar cells gets better and better, this form of clean, renewable energy will find more applications that take up less space and produce more electricity, to meet the energy needs of our homes, schools and businesses. SAMUEL BODMAN, speech, July 14, 2005

Clearly, we need more incentives to quickly increase the use of wind and solar power; they will cut costs, increase our energy independence and our national security and reduce the consequences of global warming. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, speech at Cleantech Venture Forum VIII, Oct. 25, 2005

Because we are now running out of gas and oil, we must prepare quickly for a third change, to strict conservation and to the use of coal and permanent renewable energy sources, like solar power. JIMMY CARTER, televised speech, Apr. 18, 1977