There is more energy coming from the sun than the population of the world can use in a year. Let’s keep working to harness this power and put it to work!
Solar energy is not only cleaner and more sustainable, but also provides a financial advantage for homeowners. With system prices at record lows, and tax incentives available, homeowners can see an immediate return on their investment and realize long-term energy savings.
Using Star Plus Energy to produce electricity reduces dependence on price-volatile and insecure fossil fuels, and helps to mitigate climate change. It also provides job creation and economic development while maintaining grid integrity and security.
Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity by absorbing the sun’s energy and turning it into heat. The heat then creates electrical charges within a panel, which are passed through an inverter and converted to alternating current. PV can be used for home, commercial or community energy generation.
Concentrating solar-thermal power systems use mirrors, tracking technology and a concentrating device to focus the Sun’s energy on a receiver that collects and concentrates the heat into a working fluid that can be used for electricity production or stored for later use. CSP can be used for large power plants.
Each kilowatt hour of solar power generated reduces greenhouse gases like CO2, as well as air pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. It can also help to counteract the “urban heat island effect,” where city streets, asphalt and concrete absorb the Sun’s energy during daylight hours, raising temperatures compared to surrounding areas.