Solar Energy

Any salt can be used but a mix of sodium and potassium nitrate is best used commercially (otherwise used as a fertiliser)

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usually solar energy is used to heat water(or any other liquid with heat transfer characteristics)

so for example ,solar thermal power plants,they use sun to heat the water till it becomes steam under high pressure to turn on turbines which generate electricity.

Also thermal water heaters in homes use the same idea where sometimes vacuum tubes are used where water passes through them,These tubes are designed such that they absorb the solar energy (photons with energy transformed to heat) but in the mean time they dont dissipate heat back to atmosphere

Those and other power generation methods will certainly play a big part, but I think that our entire power grid is an antique. If we updated that then we will be much more efficient and wont need to produce as much electricity. A lot of power is lost on long power lines. I also think that many smaller power plants would be a good idea. There are many small irrigation and flood control dams that have no power generators in them, we should make use of them since they are already there.

Solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic) Diferences between the conditions in North and South europe

I need to do some report about the differences between the conditions for North and South Europe to use the solar energy.

All data, like the energy at places, the advantages, everything is welcome.
Send me links, or other things.

Thanks

There are maps to show how much solar energy is available on average per day for the planet. Solar energy return is also dependent on tracking the sun. Tracking can be applied on solar thermal and photovoltaic. Solar thermal is more economical when scaled up in MW. Solar thermal can also provide night time energy using salt ponds for heat storage.

These are well-established concepts, but I’m amazed that people are not doing this combination more often.

One square meter of sunlight is equivalent to about one horsepower. Reflectors can be used to heat a moving tube of water. Heat storage can be in an insulated underground tank of water without energy conversion losses.

Water can be used to heat homes and heat water.

Why isn’t everyone doing this now given the high cost of energy?

Like moving to more fuel efficient vehicles, consumers need to really feel the pain before they adjust their habits.

There’s a desperate hope that energy prices will come down. When people realize they won’t, then alternatives like you suggest will be popular.

how electrical energy is made from alternative form of energy
(wind,solar,geo-thermal)

For alternative energy that comes from something that moves like geothermal, hydro, wind, tidal, you say that the stuff flows through a turbine, which has blades like an airplane propeller, and that turns a generator, like the one on your bike that runs the light. There are several kinds of solar, and some heat water to drive a turbine. You don’t have to explain how solar cells work – you can point to a solar calculator, and say that this patch produces electricity, and it can be done with really big patches.

Fourth graders know how to do math, like multiply and divide. That’s pretty sophisticated.

Hydroelectricity
Coal Fired Power
Solar Thermal
Photoroltaic
Wind Energy
Geothermal
Wave/Tital Enery
Nuclear

It’s good you know enough NOT to use Wikipedia, but surely you know enough to Google?
For example, I did a Google search for hydroelectricity and found this, among many other sites!
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/how-hydroelectric-energy-works.html
You can use the same technique to find the rest!

I want to work on renewable energy specifically building science and renewable energy stores like sell solar VP.solar thermal,hydro,batteries,pumps,etc… but in building science I have to install those products so what should I study,which career fit better?

electrical, cuz you would build them and i think that would be more fun to discover them then install them.

Given the availability of endless sustainable energy sources such as geo-thermal energy, solar energy and wind energy, should the USA expand existing nuclear energy programs despite their risk and high cost?

One of three final paper topics for my writing class. I chose a different topic, but I just wanted to see what people thought about this one.

When you base your question on a false premise "the availability of endless sustainable energy sources such as geo-thermal energy, solar energy and wind energy" it is difficult to answer.
Nuclear Pros and Cons
PROS
!. Fission is the most energy for the least fuel with current technology.
2. Less fuel means less waste, and the waste is all accounted for, not released into the atmosphere to become someone else’s problem.
3. Uranium is readily available, very common in the earth’s crust (about the same as tin)
4. Economical – operating cost about the same as coal, fuel cost is a much smaller percentage of the total, therefore less susceptible to price fluctuations.
5. Reliable – Nuclear power plants have very high capacity factors, Much higher than solar or wind
6. No combustion, no Co, CO2 or SO2 released.
7. Creates high paying, skilled jobs.
8. Reduce dependence on foreign oil/ fuel. Uranium available domestically and in oceans.
9. High temperature reactors could produce Hydrogen as well as electricity.
10. Fantastic safety record.
11, Does not require back-up and storage facilities like solar and wind.
12. More economical than solar per Mw produced.
13. Much smaller footprint, takes up less land than Solar or wind.

CONS
1. Irrational fear of all things nuclear.
2. High cost to build and license, large initial investment for long term pay back.
3. Publicly accepted high level storage facility not domestically available.
4. Reprocessing facility not domestically available.
4. High cost of personnel.
5. Security concerns, proliferation and terrorism.
Nuclear power, I believe is the best, safest, most reliable, current technology to provide energy. The plants operating now are safe and the new designs are even safer.
Building 100’s of new nuclear power plants would improve the economy, reduce or eliminate dependence on foreign oil, create jobs, reduce pollution, and provide for future technological advancement.
I have been working with nuclear power for about 30 years, I would be glad to have a Nuclear power plant or high level waste disposal facility in my backyard. My family and I live in a home within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. (where I work) I have a great understanding of the risks involved and am completely comfortable with a plant "in my backyard".
Using Chernobyl as a reason not to build is like saying because of the Hindenburg I will never fly in a commercial airliner.
Nuclear power has the smallest environmental impact of any current energy production method per unit of energy produced. One fuel pellet about the size of a pencil eraser produces the same energy as about 1 ton of coal, and if reprocessed 2/3 of what’s left can be reclaimed. Nuclear power is our best option for reliable, environmentally friendly, base-load electrical power.

You know how theres the electricity thing where you connect a potato to a light bulb. os there something like that, that i8 could do, but about hydro, soloar, or thermal energy. Do you think that if I got a clear glass vase set it in the sun until it was hot and I can see steam, then use that connecter thingy to connect a light bulb to the steam(y vase)

Solar might be easy, get a solar cell and connect it to an LED.

For thermal, you might be able to buy a toy steam engine with a generator
http://scientificsonline.com/category.asp?c=424553&sid=google&cm_mmc=google-_-cpc-_-edmu-_-steamenginemodel&bhcd2=1211306248
but most modern plants use turbines rather than pistons.
http://jensensteamengines.com/turbine.htm
has a turbine *and* generator.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_make_a_model_hydroelectric_plant
addresses hydro. Hydro is much like steam turbine, except water moves the blades instead of steam.