Solar polar is the conversion of electricity into sunlight. The way the energy is captured and converted depends on the scale. Large commercial electricity generators may use CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) systems, based on lenses, mirrors and tracking systems, while smaller installation will often use photovoltaic cells. Most systems require some form of energy storage to provide backup at night.

CSP systems are used in the largest installations which produce electricity from sunlight. California’s Mojave Desert is home to the largest solar energy plant. It produces more than 350 mega watts. Spain also has several large CSP energy plants. As you can see, locations that get a lot of sunlight year round are ideal for this type of energy production.

CSP systems concentrate sunlight into a small beam using lenses and/or mirrors. The mirrors or lenses move throughout the day, tracking the sun. They concentrate the reflected sunlight into a small point and use it to heat up a fluid. This generates electricity in a way similar to the method used by conventional plants.

Several international organizations have studied many forms of renewable energy. They have determined that CSP has the potential to provide twenty-five percent of the world’s electricity needs by 2050. Spain is currently leading the world in CSP technologies. CSP stations are best located in desert areas, such as Africa, Mexico and the south-western states of the US.

The other type of solar power being practically used in the world today uses photovoltaic technologies. Photovoltaic cells are small semiconductor devices which produce a small amount of DC electricity when exposed to sunlight. Many thousands of these cells can be arranged in panels to produce more practical amounts of electricity.

PV cells are especially useful for small installations, such as one that produces enough electricity for a home. They can also be used for something as small as powering a traffic sign with just one panel. Nevertheless photovoltaics can be used in large installations such as the 97 MW Sarnier power plant in Canada.

During hours when there is no sunlight, PV cells cannot produce electricity, so if power is needed at night time some way to store the electricity produced during the day, or some alternate source of electricity must be used. There’s a plant in Germany that stores solar energy in the form of pumped storage hydroelectricity. During the day solar generated electrical energy is converted to potential energy by pumping water into a raised reservoir. During the night that water can be used to produce hydroelectricity.

Because of the cost of the batteries to store electricity, many residential PV systems are simply connected to the grid. During daylight hours, the homes use solar energy produced by the PV cells. During night and on cloudy days, electricity is purchased from the power company. If the local power company is set up for it, the grid itself can be used to store electricity. PV systems feed electricity into the grid during daylight hours and then draw power back after dark.

In many countries tariffs and subsidies make it economically sensible for homeowners to feed power back into the grid. Residential PV installations include an inverter, which is an electronic unit that converts the DC voltage produced by the PV cells into AC which can be used by the home and fed back into the grid. Several countries, including Korea, Spain, France, the United States and Germany have seen the solar panel market grow significantly, partly due to favorable tax incentives and subsidies.

If you want to get involved in the trend toward solar energy, just run down to your local Home Depot to find solar panels for sale. Read up on solar panel maintenance to keep them operating at their peak performance. Solar Power by Coleen Regis.

Subsidies are financial incentives, usually paid by governments to encourage the production of something. There are many reasons that a particular product might be beneficial to the community, but not economically feasible to individuals and businesses. Many products are subsidized to support local businesses, reduce the amount of imported goods, provide employment and encourage environmentally friendly practices. The energy industries (coal, oil, nuclear, alternative) have always worked in an environment where subsidies have been used. In recent years the trend is to encourage renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, biomass) at the expense of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Alternative energy subsidies include Feed-in Tariffs and financial incentives to photovoltaics.

Each country’s goals may be different, so naturally they use subsidies differently to move toward their objectives. Often governments may wish to encourage the use of a fuel source which is available locally, and reduce the national dependence on imported fuels. Promoting the export activities of local producers may also be an important factor for many countries.

Subsidies are often used to bring about economic benefit for the people the government is trying to look out for. Examples of this might be reducing prices of a product to help the poor or increasing employment in a specific area. International agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol on reducing carbon emissions, can also lead to tariffs which discourage certain forms of energy, and encourage others.

There are many who argue against subsidies, though. One common argument is that any financial interference from the government distorts the free market economy and increases waste and consumption. Even among those who agree that subsidies are a good idea in theory, many specific subsidies are criticized for failing to help the intended beneficiaries.

Policies for promoting the production and use of renewable forms of energy are common to many nations. In addition to the fact that protecting the environment is good for each country individually, international agreements often drive the need for such national policies.

Many fuels that we use now because they’re less expensive than their cleaner counterparts release carbon dioxide into the air. This adds to the green-house effect (a natural effect in the earth’s atmosphere), making the earth warm up (global warming). In order to reduce the effects of global warming, many countries are trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels and replace them with more environmentally friendly fuels that don’t release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nuclear, biomass, solar, wind, tidal and hydro-electric power are among the environmentally friendly choices. You can see the effect of subsidies on the prices of solar panels for sale in the U.S.

Subsidies encourage the production and/or use of these technologies. Financial incentives to photovoltaics and feed-in tariffs make it beneficial to consumers to install and use renewable power sources. The goal of these subsidies and incentives is to help reach grid parity, which is the point at which the cost of renewable power is equal to the cost of traditional forms of energy.

Typical feed-in tariff schemes pay renewable energy producers for the energy which they produce. Traditionally utility companies and their partners are considered suppliers, while homes and business that buy and use electricity are considered consumers. Now that the owners of homes and businesses can produce their own electricity, and sometimes even feed power back into the grid, homeowners and businesses can be suppliers too.

When solar panels are purchased and used by a private individual or business, they may generate more electricity than the home or business need, especially at certain times of the day or year. If the government institutes a feed-in tariff, the owner of the power source can feed excess electricity back into the grid. The utility company must purchase that power at a specified rate. In this way the tariff encourages the adoption of renewable energy, and reduces the nation’s dependence on fossil fuel.

Find out what incentives are available for solar power in your area and then research solar panel prices. Solar Power Subsidies by Coleen Regis.