How come the use of solar energy in sunny California is not that common as in many parts of the world?
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Go rent a movie called Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room
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You would surmise, that since the sun is the source of the heat for the\nearth and atmosphere, that the atmosphere should be warmer at points closer\nto the sun, like at the TOP of the atmosphere, instead of the reverse.\n\n   But the atmosphere is not warmed directly by the sun...it is warmed by the\nEARTH...!  Most of the energy from the sun arrives at the earth in the form\nof light energy, or short-wave energy. The atmosphere is transparent to\nshort-wave energy, and most of the solar energy reaches the surface of the\nearth, where it is absorbed. This energy warms the surface of the earth,\nwhich, in turn, warms the atmosphere with long-wave energy. The type of\nenergy radiated by a star primarily depends on the temperature. So the\nenergy from the sun arrives at the earth as short-wave (in the visible part\nof the spectrum) energy, and leaves the earth as long-wave (in the infra-red\npart of the spectrum) energy.\n\n   The atmosphere is not transparent to long-wave radiation, and absorbs the\nheat energy from the earth. That part of the atmosphere closest to the earth\ngets the most energy and is the warmest.\n\n   Because the sun is nearly overhead in the latitudes nearest the equator,\nthose locations receive more solar energy per unit area, and become warmer\nthan those locations near the poles. This difference in the amount of energy\nreceived and subsequent heating of the atmosphere and evaporation of water\nfrom the lakes and oceans, is what drives the "weather machine" on the\nearth.
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Due to the fusion process taking place inside the sun it emits radiation. The sunlight has solar energy.\n\nIf u would use some other source of light may be artificial then may be the energy generated would be less
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solar energy is an exotic source of energy in Canada.  the cost of generating energy in this manner has limited it to people who want to supplement their own energy needs by installing solar panels on their roof to help in heating their water or cooling or heating their home. there are much more cost-effective ways to generate electricity such as building dams to generate hydro-electric power, or wind turbines to do the same. the high start up costs and the long time that a solar energy cell takes to pay-off the investment is the main reason it has not become more widespread. until there is a breakthrough in the production of more efficient and economical solar panels, it is likely that the situation will remain the same.
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China is leading in Solar Energy
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Typically a solar panel would be used to charge a 12 volt battery in circumstances where 110volt is not available.  12 volt power can be used for a lot of different things.
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The most common material used in solar cells is single crystal silicon. Solar cells made from single crystal silicon are currently limited to about 25% efficiency because they are most sensitive to infrared light, and radiation in this region of the electromagnetic spectrum is relatively low in energy.
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You can store it in batteries and it lasts as long as the batteries last.\n\nThe sun produces a huge amount of energy every day (173 millions of billions Watts). The amount we receive generates wind (converted into electricity through windmills), heat, photosynthesis of plants and trees and 1.37kw of energy per square metre. This energy can be harnessed by PV cells and converted into electricity. In fact, less than 1% of our planet’s desert areas would generate all the electricity we need if it was covered with PV panels.\nGenerating electricity this way is quite simple: light hits a cell made of a thin layer of silicium over a metal support which generates electrons. The motion of these electrons generates current. PV cells are assembled in panels, generating up to 100w/h of DC power (14v approximately). These panels are connected to a regulator, which controls the electricity production, sends some to appliances, some to battery storage and dumps any excess. PV panels generate electricity when subjected to sunlight. This means they do not produce at night. This is why most systems store electricity in batteries.\n \nHOUSING APPLICATIONS\nA modern house does not require a lot of electricity and it does not seem very efficient to burn diminishing fossil resources in huge plants located far away and then transport this electricity over hundreds of kilometers to houses. By having a few PV panels on the roof, any ordinary house can generate its electrical needs; this power can be supplied in DC (for halogen lighting for example) and AC (220V) through an inverter to power standard appliances.\n \nA house connected to the grid can then sell electricity by day and buy some back at night.\nAn independent house generates all its needs by storing electricity in battery banks. In windy areas, a windmill can be a very good complement to PV systems.\n \nPV systems do not require fuel, have no moving parts that can wear, require virtually no maintenance and last for a very long time (some PV systems have a 30 years warranty).\n \nINDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS\nThey constitute the bulk of the applications today, for remote lighting, transmitters, satellites in space, etc. Industrial buildings could also produce part of their needs through PV.\n \nCOST MATTERS\nIs PV technology expensive? Prices are now going down and make it ever more competitive. PV systems last a very long time and over say 50 years, they should become extremely competitive.\nThe cost of fossil fuels is expected to increase over the next 20 years. Furthermore, fossil fuel generators require heavy maintenance. Another aspect to take in account is the pollution they generate: this has a heavy cost in terms of global warming, poor air quality, health problems and logistic costs (transport of fossil fuels, electricity on high power lines and their waste), not to mention collateral damage such as oil slicks, Chernobyl type accidents, respiratory diseases, chemical runoffs and other nasty results.
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I agree with the unique Earth bit. But the Sun is an average star in terms of heat and size, very mainstream. Western society, with its reliance on consumerism, is a drain on society, and is influencing developing countries to compete and produce these goods very cheaply, leading to increased pollution and reliance on fossil fuels. As to the long term survival of society, who knows. It seems that governments throughout the world are waiting for it to be too late before doing anything and then blaming other people.
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If you're talking about electricity generated from solar panels, it's not widely done because of how expensive it is to build and construct panels. The material (Germanium or Silicon) alone costs a lot to synthesize.\n\nWind power turns out to be a better alternative, if you consider the costs and benefits. Ocean-tide power may be good source of power too.\n\nNow look up "Dyson Sphere." This is another aspect of tapping solar power; Solar power tapped to the extreme, not for electricity, but for life; A solution for the evergrowing population of mankind. A Dyson Sphere is impossible to construct, but a few hundred years from now it may be possible to create a Dyson Belt, a collection of inhabitable planetoids built and placed in orbit 93 million miles from the sun (the same distance as the Earth).
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if you're looking to invest in solar panels there is a company in california that is using microprocessor production process to drive the cost of producing extrememly effiecient solar cells DOWNDOWNDOWN. they trade under SPWR.
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in North America the average power of the solar radiation lies somewhere between 125 and 375 W/m², between 3 and 9 kWh/m²/day. [3]\n\nIt should be noted that this is the maximum available power, and not the power delivered by solar power technology. For example photovoltaic panels currently have an efficiency of ca. 15% and, hence, a solar panel delivers 19 to 56 W/m² or 0.45-1.35 kWh/m²/day (annual day and night average).\n\n\nGaAs multijunction devices are the most efficient solar cells to date, reaching as high as 39% efficiency[9]. They are also some of the most expensive cells per unit area (up to US$40/cm2).
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It all depends on the area where you live. Like people in Florida would benefit most from Solar energy. People living near dams would benefit more form water energy. Wind energy would benefit people who live in the mountains. It all has to do with the geography of the land. But dealing with fuel options... I'm stumped!
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As taken from the EERE Solar energy basics website:\n\n"Sunlight—solar energy—can be used to generate electricity, provide hot water, and to heat, cool, and light buildings.\n\nPhotovoltaic (solar cell) systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. A solar or PV cell consists of semiconducting material that absorbs the sunlight. The solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. PV cells are typically combined into modules that hold about 40 cells. About 10 of these modules are mounted in PV arrays. PV arrays can be used to generate electricity for a single building or, in large numbers, for a power plant. A power plant can also use a concentrating solar power system, which uses the sun's heat to generate electricity. The sunlight is collected and focused with mirrors to create a high-intensity heat source. This heat source produces steam or mechanical power to run a generator that creates electricity."
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Solar Tower Systems\n\nThese systems produce electricity on a large scale. They are unique among solar technologies because they can store energy efficiently and cost effectively. They can operate whenever the customer needs power, even after dark or during cloudy weather.\n\nPower towers operate by focusing a field of thousands of mirrors onto a receiver located at the top of a centrally located tower. The receiver collects the sun's heat in a heat-transfer fluid, which is used to generate steam for a conventional steam turbine located at the foot of the tower for production of electricity.\n\nBased on other companies experiences with solar tower applications, which used water/steam as the heat-transfer fluid, our engineers determined that power towers would operate more efficiently using molten salt. The salt would have the further advantage of providing a practical way to store the heat.\n\nDuring operation, the salt is heated to more than 565°C and stored in a tank next to the tower. When electricity production is needed, the hot salt is pumped from this "hot" storage tank to the steam generator. \nPower towers also have distinct advantages over conventional power plants. Like all solar technologies, they consume no fuel, so they do not pollute the environment. Similarly, they are capital intensive but cost little to operate.
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yep, the sun doesn't hit it as much. Plus, it would depend on your location too.
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The previous posted is confused.\n\n"Solar power is still the best alternative energy source, and it is because of that that it's still decades away from being fully researched and employed in our everyday lives"\n  --Solar energy is used with great success in the western US were large areas of land are available to be used for solar projects. \n\n"why,..because the Big oil barrons would be out of a job,...plain and simple"\n   --It is inefficient use as a large power source.  An overcast day can hinder generation from the sites, plus the large amount of area required focusing enough light to heat water cells or even PV cells.  Let's not count out nighttime.  \n\n"It's now 2006,.. Over 30 years since the oil and gas embargo of the 70's and we still have not learned our lessions, Oil company's and big business have effectively lobbied our lawmakers into doing nothing and here we are,.. now paying $ 3.00 and more . per gallon, $ 70.00 a barrel for oil, ask your parents about the gas embargo of the 70's,...then ask them why nothng has changed"\n   --Then why are cars getting more and more fuel efficient??  I'm all for driving big block Chevy's, but they seemed to have been taken off the market until most recently.  Why is that??  If the rate of inflation was applied to the cost of gasoline since 1970, the current price per gallon would be well over $5.00.  Oil has been somewhat stable up until the mid to late 1990's.\n\nOh, and don't forget to subtract the taxes your lawmakers have placed on each gallon of gas since 1970.