(Narrator) The sun is the most
plentiful source of energy we have.
It’s about 4.6
billion years old,
with another five billion years of
hydrogen fuel to burn in its lifetime.
That gives us a
renewable energy source
that won’t run out
any time soon.
And it can be used without
releasing greenhouse gases,
or other harmful by-products.
We can use that energy
directly for hot water,
lighting, heating,
and even cooling.
We can convert it to electricity
to power anything from campervans,
to suburban homes, to shops,
to industrial processes.
Solar could be the largest source of
electricity in the world by 2050.
And with the highest
levels of solar irradiance
per square metre of any
continent in the world,
Australia’s well placed
to take advantage.
We already are - over two million
households use solar technology,
more than any other country.
So how do we turn sunlight
into something we can use?
And how can we rely on it when it’s
only available during the day?
The two main technologies are solar
photovoltaic and solar thermal.
Solar photovoltaic (or PV) is a way
to convert sunlight into electricity.
When light photons hit a photovoltaic
panel, they excite electrons free,
causing a charge to build up,
which gives us electricity.
These solar panels are often
installed on rooftops,
integrated into building
or vehicle designs,
or attached to power plants
in very large numbers.
We’re working on low-cost panels
that are environmentally
friendly to produce,
thin, and even flexible,
so we can generate
electricity from the sun
in all kinds of places
we couldn’t before.
The other technology, solar
thermal, turns sunlight into heat.
At low temperatures, we
can heat water or air
for residential and
commercial buildings.
But when we
concentrate sunlight,
we can get much
higher temperatures,
turning water into steam
to spin turbines,
which gives us electricity. We’re
leading the way on methods
to get more out of sunlight
by using mirrors and lenses.
And we’re finding ways to store it
for use when the suns not shining,
a cheap and effective alternative to
storing electricity in batteries.
Our need for energy to
power our modern economy
is always increasing - but
with the sun available,
and the right technology
to harness it,
we’ll keep the
lights switched on.
