Solar power, like wind energy, does not need to be high-tech. Putting a black container of water in the sun to heat up for a shower later in the day is a good example of a low-tech way of using the energy from the Sun. But to produce enough power to heat an entire city or power its lights, we need to develop more efficient ways of using the Sun's energy. The Sun provides us with more than 1000 Watts of energy for every square meter on our planet. Theoretically, if we could harness this energy from just one square meter we could power about 100 light bulbs. There are several ways of using the Sun's energy. Many calculators now have solar cells instead of ordinary batteries. By making these solar cells more massive and more efficient, one can use the energy from the Sun directly. Solar cells are already in use all over the world and many are working on the technology required to split water up. Not only can solar energy be used as a direct source of energy, but we can also use its energy to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen is a very clean fuel. When it is combusted, it produces no harmful substances. Unfortunately, hydrogen is quite dangerous since it is easily flammable.

Wind

Solar

Hydro

Geothermal

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