As time goes on, Earths natural resources are getting depleted and if human beings of today do not use these carefully or find alternate resources, there might not be any resources left for future generations which paints a bleak future for humanity. One kind of alternate resource is solar energy where energy from the sun which seems abundant and adequate is converted to electricity for human use.

Some hot facts about solar energy are:

• In 1830, John Herschel successfully demonstrated the use of solar energy by cooking using a ‘œSolar Thermal Collector Box’ which absorbs sunlight.

• Sunlight can heat almost anything. By using it to heat spaces like greenhouses we can successfully grow plants, to heat fluids to high temperatures which can operate turbines and to heat water to keep houses and swimming pools warm.

• Solar energy can be used in 2 ways ‘“ solar photovoltaic cell which converts solar energy to electricity & solar power plants which heat a fluid to such high temperatures that it converts to stream, which is then used to power turbines to generate electricity.

• The main advantage of solar energy is that it is environment friendly. It is renewable till the sun is alive and requires little or no maintenance. This means that building of solar panels and other devices can be incorporated into homes and buildings itself without much inconvenience. They are also silent (as opposed to noisy electric generators etc.) and will not disturb buildings residents in any way.

• The main disadvantage is that sunlight is not consistent throughout the day and not available at all during the night. It is available at different times in different areas of the earth. It also varies through seasons. This makes solar energy unreliable. A small thing like a solar panel not directly facing the sun could have lesser output of energy. These are side effects which need to and can surely be fixed.

• Other disadvantages include release of toxic chemicals when solar cells are created, environmental degradation where large solar powered plants exists including threat to life like plants, small animals and insects in case of direct contact with solar power towers.

• In an attempt to promote the usage of solar energy, the U.S. govt has generous tax benefits for buildings and organisations which actively use solar energy.

• The US Department of Energy, determined to take solar energy seriously, has started a SunShot initiative in Feb 2011 which aims at research and solutions at making solar energy abundantly available across the US and even affordable to economically challenged families.

• New breakthroughs are constantly happening in the field of solar energy research. For e.g. researchers recently found a way of using the sun not only as a source of energy but also to create solar energy materials for solar devices.

• Solar photovoltaic is a common method of converting solar energy into electricity. There are several places in Pennsylvania that are being tapped for their potential in solar energy. Several projects are being funded by the Penn State University in this field as well.

Solar energy gives us the hope of sustainable energy which will last many human lifetimes till the sun exists. It definitely looks like the future of the planet and should be encouraged till a more permanent source is found.