Solar Energy Minnesota .com |
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Alternative Power Resources for Renewable Energy
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Minnesota Advocates Use of Solar Energy and Federal Tax Rebates |
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Energy from the Sun in the form of heat and light is referred to as solar energy. All life on Earth is derived from solar energy. This renewable energy, such as heat and light from the Sun, wind power, wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, is also referred to as solar power. Solar power is used synonymously with solar energy to refer to the conversion of sunlight into electricity. A solar cell or photovoltaic (pv) cell is a device that converts light into electricity using the photoelectric effect. PV installations can pay for themselves in five to ten years in many places. "Grid-connected" systems - those systems that use an inverter to connect to the utility grid instead of relying on batteries - now make up the largest part of the market. Excess electricity from photovoltaic systems also can be sent to the transmission grid where it can be used to meet existing demand or temporarily stored for later use. Grid-tied electrical system policies often give photovoltaic system owners a credit for the electricity they deliver to the grid. This credit is used to offset electricity provided from the grid when the photovoltaic system cannot meet demand. Where there is net metering, the credit is equivalent to or greater than the cost of electricity to the consumer.
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait ‘til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” – Thomas Edison 2008 SolarEnergyUnitedStates.com |
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