Solar Energy – A Never-Ending Energy Resource

Sunlight is the largest source of the energy which the earth receives. Solar energy is increasingly becoming popular because it is never-ending and essentially non-polluting energy resource unlike fossil fuels, coal, natural gas, petroleum. Solar energy promises to be a reliable source of energy.  KOR Energy is trying to bring the change and make its customers and clients understand the benefits of going solar.

The intensity of the solar energy at the surface of the earth is quiet low. The reason being a large amount of energy gets scattered in the atmosphere and some part of it does not reach the earth’s surface because of the presence of dense clouds above the earth. In fact only fifty percent of the visible light reaches the earth’s surface which includes ultraviolet rays, electromagnetic radiation, and infrared radiation. It is these radiations which can be converted into electrical energy. Flat-plate collectors and concentrating collectors are the two basic devices which are particularly used for converting solar heat and light into electrical energy. At KOR Energy be believe that energy consumption should be a mission for efficient environment control and also for generating renewable energy.

Flat-plate collector is a black colored metal plate which remains covered with one or two sheets of glass. When the sunlight falls on this plate, it gets heated. This heat may be used either directly or may be transferred to another medium for storage. Insulated tanks are used to store the water that gets heated during the sunny time. Depending upon the design, the efficiency of these collectors ranges from 20-80 percent.

Concentrating collectors come into the picture when much higher temperatures are needed. Concentrated solar collectors use mirrors and/or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight for generating solar power. These have the capacity to heat up to temperature of 2000 degree Celsius. Thus such collectors can be used for huge boilers. Concentrated solar power must not be confused with concentrator photovoltaic.

Solar energy is converted into electricity by the process of photovoltaic effect using photovoltaic cells. Large number of such cells is placed together in a solar plant. One solar cell generates a power of nearly 2 watts. But when large number of these cells is accumulated, thousands of kilowatts of solar energy can be generated. We have various scenarios where the electricity generated by sun is brought to use such as solar rooftops used in various hotels and residences, solar lanterns for electrification, solar cookers, solar pumps for irrigation, solar heaters, solar vehicles, solar calculators, solar watches. The Solar Rooftops are the very first step at KOR Energy to go solar.

Solar heating, it refers to using sunlight for heating water or air in buildings. Solar heating is either active or passive. In case of active solar heating, mechanical methods are used to store, collect and distribute solar energy within a building. Sunlight falls on the building’s collector array which gets converted into heat and is then transferred to a carrier fluid. This fluid is then pumped into a system for conversion, storage and distribution. Carrier fluid is then finally pumped into an insulated tank where either it is immediately used or stored for later use. However, passive solar heating depends upon the architectural design of the buildings. Here we are talking about the structure of the building and materials that have been used in its construction that can be brought into use to maximize the effect of sunlight falling on it.

Even though sunlight is abundantly available, the expenses in collecting and conversion put a limit on its wide use. That is why Solar Rooftops are a product which is feasible and affordable as compared to the benefits it offers – to the environment and also monetary by cutting down the monetary expenses.