Is harvesting of solar energy and sun light possible, if so explain the best ways for the use of mankind?

Answer 1

Schemes to harvest raw sunlight out in space or from the Moon have been mentioned in science magazines from the beginning of the space age. Most I've read about beamed the energy to Earth by converting it to microwave energy. One can only be imagined what effect such a beam passing through our atmosphere would have. It is theoretically possible to build a large solar facility in the American southwest to supply the entire country. It would be incredible large, (larger than a few states), extremely expensive, but would be nonpolluting. Germany is the leading country in the world when it comes to the use of solar power and yet that country is not really known for it sunny weather. There is definitely a vast untapped potential in areas like the American southwest and the Sahara desert or for that matter any place of Earth that gets more than it's share of sunshine.
Only the cost of collecting this energy is a factor at the moment. The viability and practicality have been well established.

Answer 2

Harvesting is an interesting word to use in this question. I
don't think that it is the right word choice, however. You
cannot collect and store sunlight or solar energy. You can
collect and store the results of solar energy as it affects other things however.

Heat from solar energy may be collected and stored in the form of hot water in insulated tanks inside buildings for use during cold nights to gradually spread heat through the buildings. This requires the installation of solar heating panels on roof tops, a large insulated heat storage tank, and some type of regulated heat distribution system to release the heat when needed.

Solar rays could be used in cooking food on "sunny days" if a mirrored dish were assembled outside to collect and focus the Sun's rays onto a cooking surface. There are minor problems with this process, however, in that when focused the Sun's rays are Extremely hot, and areas outside of the focus are not nearly as hot. So uneven cooking might well result. Some means of spreading and regulating the heat need to be provided. Also, the mirror would most likely have to swing through an arc to track the Sun as it passed overhead. Cloudy and stormy days there would be no usage of the device.

Solar Panels may also be used to produce Direct Current Electricity. In general, to be useful at all times of day and night, that energy must be fed into a system of batteries for storage and then drawn off as needed to power lights and other electrical equipment and labor saving devices. To gain good efficiency these solar panels should be oriented towards the path of the Sun overhead. Maximized electrical energy production would require steering the panels directly at the Sun during each entire day using motors, sensors, and a control/drive system because the panels produce the maximum amount of energy when facing the Sun directly, and less energy when meeting the sun's rays at an angle.

Answer 3

Almost every living thing is harvesting sunlight for its existence, except that we are not conscious of it. Plants need it to produce its food, animals eat the plant for its energy source, etc. But if you are referring as power source, we are alsready doing it in the form of solar panels, and in an indirect way, the wind turbine, since differential heating of the earth's surface produces the wind.

However, big generation solar plants has not yet reached the proportion of hydropower, oil and coal power plant because the former cannot compete with the latter in cost efficiency. Solar power is only about 20-25% efficient compared to the other sources which is from 70-80% efficient. Therefore, if you are doing it for the money, its not worth doing big time e.g., >1 MW plants.

Solar power is, however, cost effective for remote areas with a small energy demand where conventional power plants are very expensive to put up and maintain, e.g., remote islands and outer space. But the technology of solar power is fast developing that its efficiency is increasing. It might not be long before it can compete in efficiency with conventional power sources.

Answer 4

The best way to harvest sunlight is to grow plants and trees, this is very cost effective. We can use these to eat or make bio fuel, or just to look at.

Other ways currently used are solar cells which convert sunlight directly to electricity. In a lot of hot countries solar panels are used to heat water.

Spacecraft are being design to be powered by using solar wind, this could make spaceflight between planets
cheaper as solar wind free, but I am sure the government will find away to tax it.

Answer 5

Yes, we can harvest solar energy, in many, many ways.
However, these techniques are still not very efficient and their cost is still higher than fossile fuels of which we are so gourmand: economy and oil consortiums dictate our lives.
In the end, we could manage to harvest ALL the solar energy, using Dyson Sphere (a theoretical receiver, made of a big sphere in space and covered with captors, with a radius of a little more than 150.000.000 km, with the Sun at its center).

A good article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere

Not for tomorrow, unfortunately!

Answer 6

Yes it is possible. However, the following page suggests that it will require over 5000 square miles of 100% efficient solar panels to provide the equivalent of today's current crude oil energy.

http://www.a2dvoices.com/realityCheck/Energy/

Answer 7

based upon what the photocell is made out of, you need to use different energies of the electromagnetic spectrum. it would be a count of looking which components are valuable at turning photons into electric powered present day the main effectively. Moonlight is purely meditated image voltaic, yet by being meditated, this is no longer as severe and would therefor take so plenty extra to generate a similar volume of present day as direct image voltaic. Plus, different frequencies would reason the photocell to warmth up, turning out to be much extra inefficient.

Answer 8

I think the best way is just for people to put solar panels on their roofs.

Answer 9

its perfectly possible, an some people are using it right now. the best way would be to use it as a renewable energy sorce.

Answer 10

Yes, it is possible. But, so far, it's not quite comeercially feasible due to the cost of the equipment to install and maintain.

Doug