Solar energy - the future of the Earth

     The sun, as we know, is the primary and main source of energy for our planet. It warms the entire Earth, resulting in the movement of the river, and said because of the wind. Under its rays grows 1 quadrillion tons of plants, feeding, in turn, the 10 trillion tons of animals and bacteria. Thanks to the sun at 3emle accumulated reserves of hydrocarbons, ie oil, coal, peat, etc., we are now actively burn. To ensure that humanity today has been able to meet their needs in the energy required in the year about 10 billion tons of standard fuel. (The heat of combustion of fuel - 7 000 kcal / kg).

     Now note: if the energy supplied by the Sun on our planet for a year, transferred to the same conventional fuel, this figure will be about 100 trillion tons. This is ten thousand times more than we need. It is believed that 3emle stock at 6 trillion tons of hydrocarbons. If so, in which solar power pays the entire planet in three weeks. And its reserves are so large, that shine so brightly as it could have about 5 billion years. 3emnye green plants and algae utilizes approximately 34% from solar energy. The rest is lost almost wasted spending to maintain a comfortable microclimate for life in the depths of the ocean and on the surface of the Earth. And if a man could commit to its domestic consumption of at least one percent (that is, 1 trillion tons of coal equivalent of the same year), it would have decided a lot of problems to come forward. And in theory, it is clear how to take this percentage.
     It all started with Albert Einstein. Many will recall that the scientist was awarded in 1921 the Nobel Prize. But few know that he received it not for the creation of the theory of relativity, but for an explanation of the laws of external photoeffect. Even in 1905 he published a work which, based on Planck's hypothesis, described how and in what quantities of light quanta «bouncer» metal electrons. Get an electric current through photoeffect Soviet physicists succeeded for the first time in 30 years last century. It happened in Fizikotehnicheskom Institute, headed by renowned academician AF Ioffe. True, then the efficiency of solar-sour Taliev elements barely reach the 1%, which is turned into electricity for only 1% falls on the element of energy, but the groundwork has been laid. In 1954, Americans Pearson, Chapin, and Fuller patented the first element with an acceptable (about 6%) Efficiency. And since 1958, silicon solar cells have become major sources of electricity in the Soviet and American spacecraft.
     By the mid 70's efficiency solar cells is close to 10 per cent and ... nearly two decades at the turn of measurement. For spacecraft that is quite enough, but for terrestrial applications is very expensive production of solar panels 11 kg silicon cost then the required quality to $ 100) compared to the burning of cheap oil seemed a luxury. As a consequence, most research on the development of new technologies in the field of solar energy has been minimized, while the remaining much reduced. In the early 90-ies of the current Nobel Prize winner Academician Zhores Alferov at the meeting of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR stated that if the development
The solar station - United States
Energy sources on Earth, there are many, but judging by how rapidly rising energy prices, they are still not enough. Many experts believe that as early as 2020, the fuel will be required in three and a half times more than today. Where to take the same energy?
A solar roof of the world (power plants)
This latest technology, causing metalloksidnoy film on glass substrate to create large thin film solar modules. In America, only one project - the construction in the Negev Desert (Israel) solar power plant - allocated 100 million dollars.
New solar films SPACE
alternative energy (solar energy and we have considered one of the species) would be spent at least 15% of the funds that we invest in nuclear energy, the nuclear power plant, we would now do would be if not needed. Judging by the fact that even on the crumbs that are allocated «Sun», succeeded to the mid 90's to raise the efficiency of solar cells by 15 and by the beginning of the century - up to 20%, approval by Academician far from the truth.
     As a material for the manufacture of solar cells today use silicon. The second most common on Earth, after oxygen, the element. At the silicon accounts for more than a quarter of the total mass of the Earth's crust. Less in that it occurs in the form of oxides - SiO2. This is the same sand, which fill the children's sandbox and use zameshivanii with cement mortar. Extract from the pure silicon is very difficult. So complex that the cost silitsiuma (the so-called chemists silicon), in which no more than 1 gram of matter per 10 kilograms of product is comparable to the cost of enriched uranium used in nuclear power plants. 3apasy silicon exceed uranium almost 100 000 times, but good «sun» substance mankind produces six times less than the good of atomic uranium.
     Note that draw from rock kilogram of uranium is much more difficult than to get out of quartz sand kilogram silitsiuma. Therefore, dirty silicon produced electric manner, and containing more than 1% of impurities, it is little more than a dollar per 1 kg and a megaton of the year. The price of natural uranium by an order of magnitude higher. After fertilization, when the proportion of the required 235-th isotope is increased to 4,4%, prices of uranium jumps to $ 400 for 1 kg and is comparable to the cost of the silicon itself, which makes chips and solar cells. So, in general, low cost of nuclear fuel due to the fact that the creation of technologies of extraction and enrichment over the past half century have invested huge amounts of money. Silicon at the time of the UIS in the industry to extract and purify the same way as in the late 50-ies of the last century. As a consequence of imperfect technology - the high cost of produce great power, and environmental hazards - the low yield.
     Of the tons of quartz sand, which is about 500 kg of silicon with the most common to date technology electric extraction and purification hlorsilanovoy receive 50-90 kg solar silitsiuma. In doing so, to obtain 1 kg of spent so much energy that «kilowatt» teapot could work on it continuously for 250 hours. This is all the more strange because new, more successful technology has long existed. Back in 1974, the German company Siemens has learned to get clear silicon using karbotermicheskogo cycle. We will not go into the details of the chemical process, just say that in this case, power consumption drops by an order of magnitude, and the yield of product is increased 10-15 times. Consequently, the value of the output of silicon falls to 5-15 dollars per kilogram.
     Here's what is special advantage to Russia. German technology for the simple sand is not suitable, it needs the so-called «special pure quartzites», the largest deposits of which are in our country. In addition, in the opinion of those experts from Siemens, quartzites our best quality and they have enough stock at all. Electricity is one of the bad food stores, so it has always done almost as much as consumed. The total capacity of all earthly power is about 2 000 GWh. One terawatt-year - this is approximately 13% of the total energy consumed by humanity. To get this terawatt of solar standard silicon panels need «Zamość» in the territory of 40 000 km2. This, given that the station would only work during the day. The square with side 200 km - about one two hundredth of the Sahara desert. The challenge with which modern mankind could cope. But face it on the move can not be. For while there are just two huge problems.
     First - it is storing energy. Producing energy, such «gigastantsiya» could only during the day, and humanity, it needs around the clock. 3nachit on her day and night should be a surplus in some store. In batteries, the giant capacitors in supermahovikah. Such «energohranilischa» will cost not much less than the SES. Second - change. Of course, not all over the world, but in a place built. If solar energy is used to in these places was to heat the soil and air, now its part would receive electricity. The temperature in the vicinity of power plants, and 40 000 km2 - so much practically Moscow - a few drops. In the center appears that climatologists are called «barotsentrom» - permanent low pressure area, which usually are powerful cyclones. Cyclones these will okroplyat power territory and adjacent areas by rain and the sky over our batteries zavolokut clouds.
     Accordingly, and power generation to decrease by tens of times. Both of these global problems have a simple solution. Namely, we should not build a power plant on 40 000 km2, and 400 plants of 100 km2. And to have them around the equator in the sunny areas (scientists say - in the areas with the highest solarization). And combines them into a single network. And while some stations will rest on the night side of Earth, the other, the opposite - to supply energy. There is a special weather deviations pyatachkah 10x10 km that should not happen. But the best solution would be to build even larger than 400 power plants, a few dozen cities and a lot - a lot smaller, say, the size of 10x10 meters and it is quite feasible. But this - a little lower.
     Actually, in the solar energy light wedge on silicon cells do not come down. Means of converting solar power into electricity, there are many. The use of solar panels (ie, photovoltaic cells) - one of them. The way this is good, first, its mobility, and secondly, - durability. Solar panels can be installed on the roof of the car and airplane wings. It can be built into a clock, calculator, laptop, and even, ironically, in a flashlight. In solar cells, there are no moving parts, and the period of his service is about 30 years. Over these 30 years, an element in the manufacture of which has left only 1 kg of solar silicon, can provide as much electricity as is produced from 100 tons of oil in thermal power plants, or from 1 kg of enriched uranium for nuclear power plants.
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