What is Solar energy?
Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available, and the U.S. has some of the richest solar resources in the world. Solar technologies can harness this energy for a variety of uses, including generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use.
How solar is used?
Solar energy is a very flexible energy technology: it can be built as distributed generation (located at or near the point of use) or as a central-station, utility-scale solar power plant (similar to traditional power plants). Both of these methods can also store the energy they produce for distribution after the sun sets, using cutting edge solar + storage technologies. Solar exists within a complex and interrelated electricity system in the U.S., working alongside other technologies like wind power to transition the U.S. to a clean energy economy.
What is solar panels?
A Solar panels (also known as "PV panels") is a device that converts light from the sun, which is composed of particles of energy called "photons", into electricity that can be used to power electrical loads. Solar panels can be used for a wide variety of applications including remote power systems for cabins, telecommunications equipment, remote sensing, and of course for the production of electricity by residential and commercial solar electric systems.
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Reference: https://www.seia.org/initiatives/about-solar-energy
https://www.mrsolar.com/what-is-a-solar-panel/
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/environmental-impacts-solar-power
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/benefits-residential-solar-electricity
https://freyrenergy.com/how-does-solar-energy-compare-to-other-renewable-energy-sources/
Solar Energy vs Other Renewable Energy
The sun is the most abundant source of energy on the planet, generating 173,000 terawatts of solar energy every second. That's more than 10,000 times the overall cumulative energy usage of the entire planet, and it's completely replenishable. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are polluting and non-renewable. They will either vanish or the expense of locating and removing them will be prohibitively costly for our already strained population. Moreover, solar installations do not affect the environment and can be built in a few months compared to other energy plants. Land or rooftop installation is easy to maintain and can be set up almost anywhere as sunshine in India fluctuates far less frequently compared to other renewable energy sources.
Advantages:
Solar energy is sustainable, renewable, and plentiful. As the cost of using solar to produce electricity goes down each year, many Americans are increasingly switching to solar. Now, there are over a million solar installations across the country.
Disadvantages:
The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power—land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing—can vary greatly depending on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP)
