Facts about Solar Energy:

Solar Electricity
Introduction
Harnessing energy from the sun holds great promise for
meeting future energy needs because solar energy is a
renewable and clean energy resource. Fossil fuels will
eventually run out and the future of nuclear power is
uncertain. For these reasons, other energy sources need
to be harnessed. Solar energy is one of these sources.

Solar energy is produced by the sun, which is essentially a

gigantic nuclear fusion reactor running on hydrogen fuel.
The sun converts five million tons of matter into energy
every second. Solar energy reaches the Earth’s surface as
ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light, and infrared light. Many other
electromagnetic waves are stopped in the upper parts of the
atmosphere. Scientists expect that the sun will continue to
provide light and heat energy for the next five billion years.

Solar Energy Potential

The amount of solar energy that strikes Earth’s surface per year is about 29,000 times greater than all of the
energy used in the United States. Put another way, in one hour more energy from the sun falls on the earth than
is used by everyone in the world in an entire year. The solar energy falling on Wisconsin each year is roughly
equal to 844 quadrillion Btu of energy, which is almost 550 times the amount of energy used in Wisconsin.

Although the amount of solar energy reaching Earth’s surface is immense, it is spread out over a large area.
There are also limits to how efficiently it can be collected and converted into electricity and stored. These
factors, in addition to geographic location, time of day, season, local landscape, and local weather, affect the
amount of solar energy that can actually be used.

Producing Solar Electricity

Solar electricity is measured like most electricity, in kilowatt-hours, a unit of energy. Solar cells convert
sunlight directly into electricity, and many solar-powered devices have been in use for decades, including
wrist watches and calculators. Traditional cells are made of silicon, a material that comprises 28 percent of
the Earth’s crust. One solar cell measuring four inches across can produce one watt of electricity on a clear,
sunny day. However, its efficiency can be affected by many factors including the wavelength of light, the
temperature, and reflection. To produce more electricity, cells are wired together into panels (about 40 cells),
and panels are wired together to form arrays.

Solar cells are reliable and quiet, and they can be installed quickly and easily. They are also mobile and
easily maintained. They provide an ideal electrical power source for satellites, outdoor lighting, navigational
beacons, and water pumps in remote areas. In the United States, more than 784,000 homes and
businesses have ‘gone solar.’

Facts about Solar Energy: Solar Electricity Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program
Energy Resource Fact Sheets 1 [Link]
 Facts about Solar Energy:
Solar Electricity
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
Solar energy can be used to heat a fluid to produce steam that spins a turbine connected to an electrical
generator. These systems are called solar thermal electric systems. Concentrated solar power systems use
mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a small area. The concentrated sunlight heats a fluid and
creates steam, which then powers a turbine generating electricity.

One type of solar thermal electric system,

the solar power tower, uses mirrors to
track and focus sunlight onto the top of
a heat collection tower (see Fig. 1.1). An
experimental 10-megawatt solar power tower
called Solar Two was tested in the desert
near Barstow, California. It was used to
demonstrate the advantages of using molten
salt for heat transfer and thermal storage.
The experiment showed that this type of solar
energy production was efficient in collecting
and dispatching energy. The world’s largest
operating power tower system is the Ivanpah
Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave
Desert of California. Ivanpah currently runs
69 percent below operating capacity, lacking Fig. 1.1 Power Tower Power Plant
thermal storage. It cannot compete with PV Source: [Link]/eere/energybasics/articles/power-tower-system-
concentrating-solar-power-basics
panels which have undergone a huge price
reduction and can be installed on homes.

A second type of solar thermal electric system is called a parabolic trough. It is a linear concentrator system
and uses curved, mirrored collectors shaped like troughs. The concentrated sunlight heats a working fluid
running through the pipes that is then used as a heat source to generate electricity (see Fig 1.2). The largest
system of this type is located in northern San Bernadino County in California with a capacity of 354 MW
combined from three locations.

Fig. 1.2 Linear Concentrator Power Plant using Parabolic Tough Collectors
Source: [Link]/eere/energybasics/articles/linear-concentrator-system-basics-concentrating-solar-power

Facts about Solar Energy: Solar Electricity Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program
Energy Resource Fact Sheets 2 [Link]
 Facts about Solar Energy:
Solar Electricity

A third type of solar thermal electric system is an

enclosed trough which use mirrors encapsulated
in glass like a greenhouse to focus sunlight on
a tube containing water, yielding high-pressure
steam (see Fig. 1.3). This system was designed
to produce heat for enhanced oil recovery.

Fig. 1.3 View from inside the enclosed-trough parabolic

solar mirrors, used to concentrate sun and generate
steam for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
Source: [Link]/wiki/File%3AInside_an_enclosed_CSP_Trough.jpg

A fourth type of solar thermal electric

system is a Dish Stirling system which uses
a mirrored dish similar in appearance to
a satellite dish (see Fig. 1.4). This system,
like the others, uses mirrors to concentrate
and reflect solar energy and the heat
generated is used to produce electricity
by concentrating sunlight onto a receiver--
located at the dish’s focal point -- containing
a working fluid that powers a Stirling Engine.
Fig. 1.4 Dish/Engine Power Plant
Source: [Link]/eere/energybasics/articles/dishengine-system-
concentrating-solar-power-basics

A fifth type of solar thermal electric

system called Fresnel reflectors
are long, thin segments of mirrors
that focus sunlight onto a fixed
absorber located at a common
focal point of the reflectors (see
Fig. 1.5). Flat mirrors allow more
reflective surface than parabolic
reflectors and are much cheaper.
Fig. 1.5 Linear Fresnel Power Plant
Source: [Link]/eere/sunshot/downloads/linear-fresnel-power-plant-illustration

Facts about Solar Energy: Solar Electricity Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program
Energy Resource Fact Sheets 3 [Link]
 Facts about Solar Energy:
Solar Electricity
Solar Electricity Production
Of the total electricity production in the United States, solar energy provides less than 2 percent. In
Wisconsin only about 0.4 percent of total electricity production is from solar energy. A negligible amount of
electricity from solar energy is currently being generated by individual homeowners and businesses.

Effects
Solar electricity has many benefits. Solar electric systems have no fuel costs, low operating and maintenance
costs, produce virtually no emissions or waste while functioning, and even raise the value of homes.

Solar electric systems can be built quickly and in many sizes. They are well-suited to rural areas, developing
countries, and other communities that do not have access to centrally generated electricity.

Solar electricity also has limitations. It is not available at night and is less available during cloudy days,
making it necessary to store the produced electricity. Backup generators can also be used to support these
systems. During the manufacturing process of photovoltaic cells, some toxic materials and chemicals are
used. Some systems may use hazardous fluids to transfer heat. Adverse impacts can be experienced in
areas that are cleared or used for large solar energy generating sites. Large-scale solar electric systems need
large amounts of land to collect solar energy. This may cause conflicts if the land is in an environmentally
sensitive area or is needed for other purposes. Deaths of birds and insects may occur if they happen to fly
directly into a beam of light concentrated by a CSP.

Sometimes large-scale solar electric systems are placed in deserts or marginal lands. CSP developments are
common in the southwestern United States (Colorado and Mojave Deserts); however, these locations are not
without conflict either. For example, the Mojave desert tortoise is a threatened species that is in decline due
to a complex array of threats including habitat loss and degradation.

Another idea is to place solar cells on rooftops, over parking lots, in yards, and along highways, and then
connect the systems to an electric utility’s power-line system. As the use of solar electric systems increases,
laws may be needed to protect peoples’ right to access the sun.

Solar Array Near Cantil, California

Source: Hanwha Q CELLS USA.

Facts about Solar Energy: Solar Electricity Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program
Energy Resource Fact Sheets 4 [Link]
 Facts about Solar Energy:
Solar Electricity
Outlook
The sun is expected to remain much as it is today for another five billion years. Because we can anticipate
harvesting the sun’s energy for the foreseeable future, the outlook for solar energy is optimistic. Continued
growth in utility-scale solar power generation is expected. The flexibility and environmental benefits of solar
electricity make it an attractive alternative to fossil and nuclear fuels. Although the cost of solar panels has
dropped significantly, other solar installations (such as CSP) are relatively expensive when compared to the
amount of electricity they generate. Land issues and the need for electricity storage or backup systems are
also obstacles, of which many experts are confident can be overcome. Incentives are increasingly offered at
the utility, county, state, and federal levels. The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has launched
an effort to make solar energy more cost-competitive with other types of energy. Incentives such as these will
ultimately assist in the continued growth of solar energy.

In the near future, the use of solar electric systems will likely continue to increase in the Southern and
Western parts of the United States where sunshine is plentiful. Solar energy growth in Wisconsin has
been slower than that of Southern and Western states but currently has 22 MW of solar energy installed,
equivalent to what is needed to power 3,000 homes. A number of homeowners and businesses in Wisconsin
have already demonstrated that solar electric systems can meet their needs, and it is reasonable to expect
growth of solar electric power in Wisconsin as well.

References
National Renewable Energy Laboratory: [Link]
Solar Energy Industries Association. U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, 2014 Year-In-Review Executive
Summary. Retrieved from: [Link]/sites/default/files/resources/[Link]
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy: [Link]/eere/office-energy-
efficiency-renewable-energy
U.S. Energy Information Administration: [Link]
Wesoff, E. GlassPoint is Building the World’s Largest Solar Project in an Omani Oil Field. Greentech Media.
July 8, 2015. Retrieved from: [Link]/articles/read/GlassPoint-is-Building-the-Worlds-Largest-
Solar-Project-in-an-Omani-Oilfie
Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation: [Link]/Pages/Programs/[Link]

© 2020 Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education

The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program is supported through funding from