9 technologies that already use solar energy

The sun produces two types of energy, no wonder it is considered one of the greatest sources of energy for life on earth. Although solar energy is not yet widespread in some countries, its development has been quite rapid.

It is evident in the many technological innovations that have begun to take advantage of this great source of energy. It cannot be ruled out that in the coming year many countries will reap the benefits of using new and renewable energies. These are some technologies that already use solar energy.

1. Electricity from solar energy

The first innovation, of course, is electricity, which uses a huge source of energy from the sun. Solar power is known as an energy that is much more efficient than other power sources and of course much more efficient.

For the use of solar power, solar collectors are usually installed to generate electricity. Solar panels are also installed as needed. The need to install solar panels in homes will be significantly different from the need to install solar panels in buildings.

2. Water heater

By using a metal collector in the form of a flat black plate and a combination of metal tubes facing the sun, you can enjoy solar water heating technology. A water heater whose heat energy source comes from the blazing sun.

The metal plate collector absorbs the heat radiation from the sun. This thermal energy is then transferred to the water circulating in the pipe. This hot water is then routed through a metal pipe to the storage tank. How these solar water heater works are commonly found in hotels, guesthouses, hospitals, and many other places.

3. Solar lamp

As the name suggests, solar lamps shine brightly by harnessing solar energy. If you pay close attention, solar lights can be easily identified. This is due to the solar panels built into the lamp.

These solar lights are not only suitable for indoor lighting, but also street lighting. The panels absorb solar energy during the day, which is converted into energy and stored. The lamp then turns on at night using the previously stored energy.

4. Sun skin

This solar energy technology is fairly new. First manufactured by Sistine Solar, later produced by MIT spin-off with systems integration. For those of you who don’t know what solar skin is, in short, a solar skin is a solar panel covered with skin with an art design or other image.

Some of these solar envelopes are built on roadsides to absorb solar energy. In conjunction with selective light filter technology, the panels can display specific movements. This movement can be customized for attention-grabbing advertising purposes.

5. Solar street

What would happen if the roads you drive your everyday vehicles on now adopt solar energy technology? You can enjoy roads that produce clean energy, can light up street lamps at night, and melt snow and ice on roads for countries with winter.

This technology includes the use of solar panels, solar clock systems, temperature detection to vehicle detection methods. Very promising indeed, but this technology is still in the refinement phase to ensure the panel is in a safe state even when many vehicles drive by.

6. Water Distillation

Another technology that also uses solar energy is water distillation. This innovation is really good news, especially in areas that are dry and often lack clean water.

By harnessing the hot sun in an area like this, water distillation is capable of distilling salt water into clean water. This means that the water can be used for bathing and is even safe for daily consumption.

The heat radiation from the sun contributes a lot to the evaporation of water from salt water. Once the radiation passes through the plate, the radiation is converted into heat. The heat causes the water to evaporate and separates it from the salt. This is a simple condensation process to create clean water yourself.

7. Solar power generation

We may already be familiar with this system. Solar power generation is most commonly used to harness solar energy.

Harvesting electrical energy using solar energy is done by using a series of solar panels placed on the roof of a house or building. Then, the energy obtained from solar panels is processed into electrical energy, which can power household appliances.

8. Drones

Have you ever heard of solar drones? It turns out that there are drones equipped with solar panels. This drone is a feiyun, or unmanned aerial vehicle, under development by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp since 2018. Feiyun’s function is a tool that can support emergency communication networks in remote areas and ground remote sensing.

9. car

Unlike other technologies, solar cars rely on electricity coming from solar panels. One of the solar electric cars is the “One” developed by Lightyear, a Dutch startup company. Mobil One is equipped with solar panels on the roof and hood. This car can travel a distance of 50-70km with an absorption capacity of 700kWh solar panel.

In addition to the 9 technologies mentioned above, there are many other technologies that we can use with solar panels. Especially the technology in the house or building, which is equipped with solar panels on the roof.

Several technologies utilizing solar energy have also been implemented, although they are still relatively rare. So you can apply the use of this new renewable energy.