Light from the sun’s rays is one of the reasons why there is life on this planet. If for whatever reason the sun were ever to stop shining, the outlook would be very bleak indeed. The earth would slowly become a ball of ice, nothing would grow and life would be impossible. Through the millennia of human existence we’ve recognised the immense power that the sun has over us, so much so that we’ve started to use the sun in a variety of ways to our advantage.
Solar Power Today
The sun may well provide an answer to our energy crisis. Solar Panel Installers Portishead based providers https://redbridgeandsons.co.uk/solar-pv-panels/solar-panel-installers-portishead are just one of the many companies installing these renewable energy systems.
The Sun in Ancient Times
Even in ancient times the sun provided people with something other than life-giving heat. If you go back thousands of years you can see the majesty of Stonehenge, whose stones are aligned with the sunrise at the summer solstice and the sunset at the winter solstice. The solstices still draw large crowds who gather to watch the sun line up with the stones.
Roman Sundials
The Romans also used the sun to tell the time with their sundials. It’s not uncommon to see sundials in gardens all over the country even to this day, and they can be surprisingly accurate.
Artisans and inventors have always sought to harness the power of the sun for their creations.
Related: Will China install solar panels at sea?
Taking solar panels out to sea
The newest idea in solar power is to move it offshore. As countries look for better ways to tackle climate change, floating solar at sea is attracting attention, and China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is considering it. Land-based solar farms face problems such as land scarcity and transmission losses, and a long coastline offers a way round them.
Offshore solar has several advantages. The open sea provides vast areas of unobstructed sunlight, it reduces conflicts over how land is used, and the cooling effect of seawater can make panels more efficient, raising energy yields.
Advances in floating solar technology have made the idea far more practical than it once was. Platforms anchored to the seabed give panels a stable base that can withstand ocean conditions, and they can be deployed in both shallow and deep water. It is a striking next step in humanity’s long relationship with the sun.