The sun is a unique source of power that we can tap into. Solar energy, also known as Sunlight, is the radiant light and heat from the Sun. The process of photosynthesis provides virtually all life on Earth with a primary source of this kind of energy: plants use sunlight to make their food while converting some to stored chemical potential energy. During the chemical reaction, plants give off oxygen as a byproduct necessary for respiration in most forms of animal life.

Energy from the Sun at the top of Earth’s atmosphere is free because it arrives at Earth’s outer surface uniformly dissipated at the rate of about 1,050 watts per square meter over the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable resource and natural power available on Earth. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive or active depending on how they capture, convert, and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques use photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful outputs like hot water or electricity that is then fed back into the system, for example, to power an oven or refrigerator.

Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Since the sun itself is uniformly distributed across the entire skydome, it makes sense to tap into this abundant source of energy because all you need to do is point your solar arrays in the direction of the sun, let them soak up all that free energy, and then convert it into electricity.

The “active” part of active solar technologies refers to how they track the sun across the sky during the day, not their reliance on photovoltaic cells or similar means for capturing solar radiation.

Active solar technologies increase the number of sunny days that a building can use to generate electricity, reduce the amount of energy needed from conventional power plants, and provide power in remote locations where other electric power plants are unavailable. The essential countermeasure against global warming is to switch to green forms of energy like Solar Power.