Solar energy is the radiant heat and light from the Sun that is captured by a variety of technologies, including solar architecture, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar power to produce electricity.
It is a crucial source of renewable energy and depending on how solar energy is captured, distributed, or transformed into solar power, its technologies are often classified as passive solar or active solar. Utilizing photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar electricity, and solar water heating are examples of active solar approaches. A building’s orientation toward the Sun, the choice of materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing qualities, and the creation of naturally ventilated spaces are all examples of passive solar techniques.
Because of how much solar energy is available, it is a very alluring source of electricity. Solar energy was the least expensive source of electricity in 2020. A power purchase agreement (ppa) for a new solar power plant in Al-Faisaliah in Saudi Arabia was signed in April 2021. The project’s cost of producing solar-powered electricity is the lowest in the world at 1.04 cents per kWh.
The International Energy Agency stated that the creation of accessible, limitless, and clean solar energy technology would have enormous long-term advantages in 2011. Relying on a domestic, limitless, and largely import-free resource, it will improve sustainability, cut pollution, and lessen the expenses associated with combating global warming. These benefits apply everywhere.
