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SOLARENERGY 
Solar energy
is thelightandradiant heatfrom theSunthat influencesEarth'sclimateand weather and sustainslife. 
Solar power
is sometimes used as asynonymfor solar energy or morespecifically to refer to electricity generated from solar radiation. Sinceancient timessolar energyhas been harnessed by humans using a range of technologies. Solar radiationalong withsecondary solar resources such aswindandwave power ,hydroelectricityand biomassaccount for most of the availablerenewable energyon Earth.Solar energy technologies can provide electrical generation byheat engineor  photovoltaic means; space heating and cooling inactiveandpassive solar  buildings; potable water via distillationanddisinfection,daylighting,hot water , thermalenergy for cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.
ENERGY FROM THE SUN
The Earth receives 174petawatts(PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation
 
) at the upper atmosphere.
 
Approximately 30% is reflected back to space
 
while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. Thespectrumof solar light at theEarth's surface is mostly spread across thevisibleandnear-infraredranges with a small part in thenear-ultraviolet.The absorbed solar light heats the land surface, oceans and atmosphere. The warm air containingevaporated water from the oceans rises, drivingatmospheric circulationor convection.When this air reaches a high altitude, where the temperature is low, water vapor condenses into clouds,which rain onto the earth's surface, completing thewater cycle. Thelatent heatof water  condensation amplifies convection, producing atmospheric phenomena such ascyclonesandanti-cyclones.Windis a manifestation of the atmospheric circulation driven by solar energy. Sunlight absorbed by the oceans and land masses keeps the surface at an average temperature of 14°C. The conversion of solar energy into chemical energy via photosynthesisproduces food, wood and the biomassfrom which fossil fuels are derived. The total solar energy absorbed byEarth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses is approximately 3,850,000exajoules(EJ) per year.In 2002, this was more energy in one hour than the world used in one year. Photosynthesiscaptures approximately 3,000 EJ per year in biomass. The amount of solar energy reaching thesurface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is about twice as much as will ever be obtainedfrom all of the Earth's non-renewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uraniumcombined.From the table of resources it would appear that solar, wind or biomass would be sufficient tosupply all of our energy needs, however, the increased use of biomass has had anegative effecton global warming and dramatically increased food prices by diverting forests and crops into biofuel production.
 
Asintermittent resources, solar and wind raise other issues.
 
The history of lighting is dominated by the use of natural light. The Romans recognized aright to lightas early as the6th centuryand English law echoed these judgments with the Prescription Act of 1832. In the 20th century artificiallighting became the main source of interior illumination but daylighting techniques and hybrid solar lighting solutions are ways to reduceenergy consumption.Daylightingsystems collect and distribute sunlight to provide interior illumination. This passivetechnology directly offsets energy use by replacing artificial lighting, and indirectly offsets non-solar energy use by reducing the need for air-conditioning.Although difficult to quantify, the useof natural lightingalso offers physiological and psychological benefits compared toartificial lighting. Daylighting design implies careful selection of window types, sizes and orientation;exterior shading devices may be considered as well. Individual features include sawtooth roofs,
 
clerestory windows, light shelves,skylightsandlight tubes. They may be incorporated into existing structures, but are most effective when integrated into asolar design package thataccounts for factors such asglare, heat flux andtime-of-use. When daylighting features are  properly implemented they can reduce lighting-related energy requirements by 25%.Hybrid solar lighting is anactive solar method of providing interior illumination. HSL systemscollect sunlight using focusing mirrors thattrack the Sunand useoptical fibersto transmit it inside the building to supplement conventional lighting. In single-story applications thesesystems are able to transmit 50% of the direct sunlight received.Solar lights that charge during the day and light up at dusk are a common sight along walkways.Althoughdaylight saving timeis promoted as a way to use sunlight to save energy, recentresearch has been limited and reports contradictory results: several studies report savings, but just as many suggest no effect or even a net loss, particularly whengasolineconsumption istaken into account. Electricity use is greatly affected by geography, climate and economics,making it hard to generalize from single studies.
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CONCENTRATING SOLAR POWER
Concentrated sunlight has been used to perform useful tasks since the time of ancient China. Alegend claims thatArchimedesused polished shields to concentrate sunlight on the invadingRoman fleet and repel them fromSyracuse. Auguste Mouchout used a parabolic trough to produce steam for the first solar steam engine in 1866, and subsequent developments led to theuse of concentrating solar-powered devices for irrigation, refrigeration and locomotion.Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus alarge area of sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated light is then used as a heat source for aconventional power plant. A wide range of concentrating technologies exists; the most developedare the solar trough, parabolic dish and solar power tower. These methods vary in the way theytrack the Sun and focus light. In all these systems aworking fluidis heated by the concentratedsunlight, and is then used for power generation or energy storage.
 ThePS10concentrates sunlight from a field of heliostats on a central tower.
A solar trough consists of a linear parabolic reflector that concentrates light onto a receiver  positioned along the reflector's focal line. The reflector is made to follow the Sun during thedaylight hours by tracking along a single axis. Trough systems provide the best land-use factor of any solar technology. TheSEGSplants in California and Acciona's Nevada Solar Onenear  Boulder City, Nevadaare representatives of this technology.A parabolic dish system consists of a stand-aloneparabolic reflector that concentrates light ontoa receiver positioned at the reflector's focal point. The reflector tracks the Sun along two axes.
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