Solar and Wind energy comparative essay

The history narrates that solar power was used by humans as early as 7th century B. C. when the past revels that humans used sunlight to light fires with magnifying glass materials. Later, in 3rd century B. C. , the Greeks and Romans were known to harness solar power with mirrors to light torches for religious ceremonies. These mirrors became a normalized tool referred to as “burning mirrors". Furthermore, the history for the wind power describes that people used this energy to propel boats along the Nile River as early as 5, 000 BC. By 200 BC, simple wind-powered water pumps were used in China, and windmills with woven-reed blades were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East. Nowadays, a lot of countries are complete of fully option of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar system, both are powering and clean energy revolution and became the most useful source an exciting time for production, with renewable sources of electricity swiftly expanding across. Besides, there still are many points to compare between solar power and wind power and these are: advantages, efficiency, and environment. To begin with, wind is technically a form of solar energy. When the sun’s radiation heats Earth’s uneven surface, hot air rises and cool air settles. This difference in atmospheric pressure creates wind, a kinetic (motion-based) form of energy that is capture by the turbines. When wind blows over the turbine’s blades, its generator converts the energy of rotation into mechanical power which can then be converted into power for different uses. On the other hand, solar energy is the sun’s radiation that reaches Earth. When sunlight hits the photovoltaic (PV) cells inside solar panels, these cells transform the sun’s radiation into electricity. As far as the globe move toward to greener and cleaner energy sources, the important consideration is which of these two powers is the most efficient. Because these are naturally derived energy sources, the most efficient option largely depends on the environment where this will be installed. In some locations, solar energy is going to be much easier to produce, but in other places wind energy is more readily available. To illustrate, wind turbines are considered more efficient than solar panels. The most efficient solar panels can capture and convert about 23% of sunlight into energy besides but wind turbines turn roughly 50% of captured wind into energy. Looking at those basic measurements, wind energy appears to be more than twice as efficient as solar energy. However, that’s only the case in areas where the wind is abundant and constant. Wind may not be as abundant and consistent as sunlight, but turbines can catch a breeze at any time of day. This nighttime energy generation gives wind turbines a serious advantage over solar panels and helps offset issues of inconsistency. Careful consideration goes into wind turbine placement. The general recommendation is to place wind turbines in areas with average wind speeds of 12 MPH. Even in windy areas, one of the downsides of wind energy is inconsistency. The fluctuation in the wind makes it hard to estimate how much energy will be produced for a given period. Solar panels are a more practical option for suburban or urban regions this can be installed on the rooftops of buildings, schools, and businesses. They can be bought or leased at an affordable rate. They might even be used to generate power for future high-speed transit systems. Plus, transparent solar panels are being developed to retrofit roofs, windows and even your phone, laptop, or tablet. Moreover, compared to solar panels, wind turbines release less CO2 to the atmosphere, consume less energy, and produce more energy overall. In fact, one wind turbine can generate the same amount of electricity per kWh as about 48, 704 solar panels. But the enormous power-generating capacity of wind turbines doesn’t make wind energy a clear winner. Wind turbines are an eyesore. They take up a lot of space. They can hurt wildlife. They aren’t suitable for densely populated areas, which means they’re mostly located in rural regions far from the cities that are most in need of their power. To sum up, the two powers have shown so far, their best in range of working, also there are many common things combine between them just like the friendly environment, also renewable energy sources help to reduce energy costs and has a positive impact on our planet. If wind and solar power can keep up their outstanding growth rates, they might both stand up as a strong rival to fossil fuel giants.