Solar power 537
Solar Power
When you feel the sun heating
your body or the air in your
house, this is solar energy. There
are many ways to make efficient
use of the sun’s energy to heat
water (see page 538), to make
water safe (see page 98), and to
cook food or heat a house (see
page 378). The sun’s energy can
also be used to make electricity.
Solar panels on the roof of a house
collect energy from the sun.
Solar energy requires the use of solar panels or solar cells to capture the
sunlight and change it into electricity. Because the sun is not always shining,
the electricity made must be stored in batteries before being used to run
lights, motors, and other machines.
A solar energy system can be costly to install because it requires solar
panels, batteries, and other parts. But sunlight is free (and endlessly
renewable). Once a solar system is in place, it costs little to run and
maintain. The biggest costs of maintaining a solar system are replacing the
batteries every 3 to 5 years and replacing solar panels if they break.
solar panels
The parts of a solar electric system
invertor
charge
controller
switches
fluorescent
lights
earthing rod
batteries
socket
(To learn more about solar energy and to contact organizations that install
solar electric systems, see Resources.)
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012