Solar Energy is already part of our energy mix, where along with the other renewable energy sources is trying to replace the energy produced by burning fossil fuels for a cleaner environment, and at the same time creates an opportunity for homeowners to become energy independent.
Is Solar Energy Renewable or Non-renewable?
Being produced by the Sun, solar energy is considered a renewable resource because the Sun is here to send us light and heat for at least another 5 billion years, which compared to our time here on the planet, can be considered a never ending source of clean power.
A renewable resource is replenished every day and can be used as a source of clean power for a very long period of time.
A non-renewable resource is produced over a very long period of time (millions of years), but is consumed very fast (in a few decades or centuries), which means that we can’t rely on non-renewable energy sources (fossil fuels) to power our civilization in the future.
All the energy sources used in the future (solar, wind, etc.) need to be renewable and clean because they have to power our civilization over a very long period of time.
Solar Power is one of the Main Sources of Renewable Energy Available for Mankind
Our star sends us a tremendous amount of energy every second, but to use this energy to power the civilization, we need to massively increase the solar energy generation capacity on the planet.
Technically speaking, the Sun has a finite life because will be here for about another 5 billion years, and after that, will become a red giant or a supernova, which will destroy our planet and maybe the entire solar system.
However, giving the fact that our planet will end its life along with the Sun, we can say that the Sun can be considered the main source of clean and renewable energy for our civilization and is available for us, as long as the planet exists.
How Clean is Solar Energy?
Solar power is produced today using photovoltaic solar cells installed on solar panels or large mirrors that are concentrating the sunlight into a certain point.
When using photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, the sunlight is turned into clean electricity using the photovoltaic effect.
To produce electricity, a solar panel requires the presence of the sunlight, and this is the reason why solar panels are generating energy only during the day, and the best production of energy is achieved during the summer days with clear sky.
The energy produced by the panels is considered clean power because the panels are not releasing emissions while turning the sunlight into electricity.
Battery System For Solar Power Storage
To store the energy produced by the panels during the day, we need to use solar batteries, and this will ensure that during the night and maybe during the rainy days, we can use solar energy produced by our panels instead of using energy from the grid.
Solar thermal energy is more reliable because large mirrors or smaller concave mirrors are used to concentrate the sunlight into a point where oil or another agent such as molten salt is heated at high temperatures to produce steam, which is then used to spin a turbine and generate electricity using a massive generator.
The heated agent (molten salt) can generate energy during the night because the heat is stored in the molten salt for several hours.
Solar Thermal Power Plants Can Generate Power in Cloudy Days
The power station produces a small amount of carbon emissions due to the fact that the molten salt used in the process is heated by the mirrors to reach a temperature of 550°C (1022°F).
However, giving the fact that our planet will end its life along with the transformation of the Sun into a red giant, we can say that the Sun is the main source of clean and renewable energy for our civilization and is available as long as the planet exists.
The production of solar cells and solar modules uses energy that is produced by burning fossil fuels, which generates greenhouse gas emissions, and also involves the use of toxic materials such as lead, cadmium and chromium.
These materials could become a problem for the environment when the panels are no longer in use and become waste.
However, the amount of energy (produced from fossil fuels) used to produce the panels is way smaller than the huge amount of clean energy produced by the panels during their lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
Why is Solar Energy So Important?
The Sun is the main source of energy and life in the solar system, and is vital for all living beings on the planet because warms the oceans, produces the wind, generates weather patterns, and sustains all life processes on the planet.
Without the Sun, our planet would be only a dead rock covered by ice, which rotates around the center of the galaxy in full darkness.
The Sun is responsible for the weather patterns and all the life processes on the planet, which means that our star is the source of the sunlight, wind and water cycle (among many other processes).
The sunlight is used to produce solar energy, the wind is used to spin turbines that generate wind power, and the movement of the water on the planet is the source of hydropower or hydroelectric energy.
Due to the fact that all these natural resources (solar energy, wind power, hydropower, etc.) are powered by the Sun (which is a renewable resource), we can say that solar, wind and hydropower are all renewable energy sources.
A Never Ending Source of Power
Being a never ending source of clean energy, the Sun is our main ally in the attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and increase the generation capacity for solar energy and other renewables.
Of course that the huge energy demand of our civilization cannot be covered by renewable energy yet, mankind needs to improve the technology used to harness the sunlight and also the technology used to store that clean electricity produced by the panels.
At the same time, we need to massively increase the generation capacity for solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, and we also need to develop and master, new ways of generating clean electricity (nuclear fusion).
Final thoughts
Solar energy is a renewable energy source because the Sun represents a renewable resource.
The Sun is considered renewable because is a huge and never ending source of clean energy that could help mankind to give up fossil fuels, and move to a type I civilization (on the Kardashev Scale).
We are currently a type 0 civilization because we are getting our energy by burning dead plants and animals.
Moving to a type I civilization means that mankind would harness all the power of the planet, would control the weather, earthquakes, volcanoes, and actually all the processes of the planet, which are all powered by the Sun.
