Three popular myths about solar energy
Solar energy is the energy derived from the sun. It is considered to be one of the safest sources of energy. It has become very popular in the past few years because of the environmentally friendly tag it carries. But as its popularity increases so does some of the myth surrounding it. Here are the three most popular myths
Myth1: Solar energy means the energy that is produced by using Solar panels, solar cookers, solar water heaters etc.
Many people associate the solar energy only with the solar appliances like solar panels, solar cookers, solar water heaters etc but the solar energy is more than that. In fact solar energy can be harnessed in two ways: passive form and active form. In active solar energy system, mechanical system is used to collect, store or transfer the solar energy. So the things that we usually associate with solar energy like solar panels, water heater etc are active solar energy system. But there is another way to harness the solar energy and it is called the passive solar energy system. Here the effect of cooling or heating a place is brought about by various factors such as properties of the materials used to make the houses, ventilation in the house, placement of windows in the house, etc. For instance, floors and walls made of bricks and stones absorb heat during the day and release these heats later in the evening, so, such houses would be warmer. But the amount of heat absorbed could be manipulated by incorporating features such as proper ventilation in the house, planting deciduous trees around the house etc.
Myth2: The concept of solar energy began with the search for an alternative to the oil fuels.
Many people believe that the solar energy was conceptualized when searching for an alternative to the oil fuel. But the truth is even the people in ancient times had known about the importance of solar energy and used it for their benefits. Ancient civilization like Greeks, Romans and Chinese had good knowledge about the passive solar energy system. The Greeks and the Romans had built their houses facing the sun to get the benefit of the winter sun. The Romans further improved it by using glass windows to trap the solar heat. They were also the first to use the glass house to grow plants out of season. It is similar to the modern green house. As early as 400 B.C the Chinese had used the solar energy to light the torches during the religious functions. They used mirrors and lenses to focus the solar rays on the torches and lit them.
Myth 3: Solar panels do not release any pollutants when generating electricity.
It is true that unlike the conventional source of energy, solar panels once they are installed do not release pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide etc. But they are not totally 'non polluting fuel' as many people believe. Apart from using potentially toxic elements like cadmium, mercury and lead in the manufacture of solar panels, some of the byproducts formed like silicon tetrachloride are also toxic. In fact, on September 2011, a solar panel plant in China was forced to close down after people protested against it for polluting the nearby river which led to the death of many fish.
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