There is a general misconception that solar panels, used to generate electricity and energy from the sun, do not work on overcast or cloudy days. This continues into the belief that solar panels are only useful during the summer months, rendering this form of renewable energy somewhat useless for half of the year during winter. It is easy to understand where these misconceptions come from. Solar panels need solar light (and it is assumed, heat) to function; without sun rays hitting the panels, it would make sense […]

With solar power being flaunted as one of the realistic alternatives to the burning of fossil fuels, it is only natural that enlightened thoughts are turning to the reliability of the energy it can create. After all, the sun is an intermittent energy source. It does not always shine, with most countries experiencing cloud cover for large portions of the year. There is also the issue that the sun is only available for, at most, 12 hours out of every 24. Could the world’s energy demands really […]

At present, the vast majority of the world’s energy resources come from the burning and manipulation of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include oil and coal; essentially, generating electricity from already-formed substances found on earth. Most of us have seen gigantic oil rigs towering on the horizon and coal mining is still an important industry for many countries; it is from these industries we get most of our energy and electricity. However, there is a problem. Fossil fuels such as oil and coal are not sustainable resources; in […]

We hear a lot about so-called renewable energy in the modern world. As the effects of global warming – or climate change, depending on your preferred terminology – become more apparent, the need to find a way to generate energy without damaging the Earth becomes all the more important. One of the most talked about methods of making energy is solar power. As the name would suggest, solar power involves taking the energy of the sun and using that energy to generate electricity on Earth. While solar […]