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solar energy

Also known as solar power, sun energy, sun power, star energy, star power, stellar energy, stellar power

radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies

AI overview

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that we capture and use through various technologies. It matters because it provides a renewable source of power that can be harnessed to generate electricity and heat for homes, businesses, and other applications.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

174,688 papers

Review on phase change materials for solar energy storage applications.ReviewEnvironmental science and pollution research international · 2022Naveenkumar R, Ravichandran M, Mohanavel V et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17152-8
Utilization of solar energy for wastewater treatment: Challenges and progressive research trends.ReviewJournal of environmental management · 2021Pandey AK, Reji Kumar R, B K et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113300
A force awakens: exploiting solar energy beyond photosynthesis.ReviewJournal of experimental botany · 2019Russo DA, Zedler JAZ, Jensen PEDOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz054
Learning from Solar Energy Conversion: Biointerfaces for Artificial Photosynthesis and Biological Modulation.ReviewNano letters · 2019Lee YV, Tian BDOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b00388
Horizons Community Board collection: solar energy conversion.Nanoscale horizons · 2021Gieseking RLM, Ramadan AJ, Ryu JDOI: 10.1039/d1nh90041b
Biomolecular and Biohybrid Systems for Solar Energy Conversion.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Kargul J, Jacquet MDOI: 10.3390/ijms24097794
Solar Energy Harvesting to Improve Capabilities of Wearable Devices.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Páez-Montoro A, García-Valderas M, Olías-Ruíz E et al.DOI: 10.3390/s22103950
Solar Energy.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 1949Daniels FDOI: 10.1126/science.109.2821.51

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Encyclopedic overview

The Sun produces electromagnetic radiation that can be harnessed as useful energy.

Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power, and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include designing a building for better daylighting, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and organizing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “solar energy” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.