Energy for Home Assignment.

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Bonn International School                                                                                                        MYP Physics

Energy for Home Assignment

By Harsh Munagala

        Electricity is a form of energy which we use everyday to run our household appliances. But how and where is this electricity produced? Many people depend on fossil fuels, like oil and coal, to provide them with energy. However, we should not only resort to fossil fuels, not only because they are non-renewable sources of energy and will eventually run out, but also because they harm our environment. We have the freedom to choose where we want our energy to come from, and there are many forms of energy out there which can provide our homes with energy.        

        Solar energy, for example, is the solar radiation (from the Sun) that reaches the earth. There are many different methods of producing energy, which can be converted to electricity. In homes and other buildings, solar energy is used in three basic ways: passive solar heating, solar water heating, and solar cells. The simplest and cheapest method is passive solar heating, in which sunlight is used to heat buildings directly without pumps or fans. Houses with passive solar heating have energy-efficient windows that face south so that the house absorbs as much heat as possible from the sun. They are also built with large amounts of stone, adobe, or concrete because these materials store heat better than wood or plaster. An efficient passive solar heating system can heat a house even in very cold weather without using any form of energy other than solar energy. The only requirement is reliable winter sunlight.

        More than one million homes in the United States use solar energy to generate hot water. Solar water heating makes use of solar collectors to capture the sun's energy. Water or a water-antifreeze mixture absorbs the sun's energy as it flows through the solar collectors. The hot liquid is then pumped through a heat exchanger, where it heats water for the home or building. The liquid forms a closed loop that efficiently transfers the sun's energy to the water we use for bathing, washing dishes, and even swimming.

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        The third method for capturing solar energy is with solar cells, also known as photovoltaic. Solar cells are devices that convert the sun's energy directly into electricity. Until recently, solar cells were not a realistic option for most consumers because of their high cost and low efficiency. The manufacture of solar cells is a complicated, expensive process requiring the expenditure of much energy. However, great strides have been made in designing more efficient and cost-effective solar cells.

        The main problem with solar-energy systems is that they require sunny weather to work. Only few regions can count on extended periods of ...

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