Solar Energy
Solar energy is used today for many things; generating electricity, heating water, etc. It is pretty straightforward: energy from the sun converted to electrical or thermal energy (“How Solar Yard Lights Work”). These small, solar LED yard lights collect and store energy throughout the day and release it at night. This is an example of an active solar system because the small yard lights are an electrical device converting the sun’s natural light to another form of usable energy, electrical (“How Solar Yard Lights Work”). These small yard lights use solar panels to collect the natural sunlight.
Solar panels are commonly seen on roofs or places where the sun and its rays are not blocked because they convert the sunlight and energy they collected throughout the day into other forms of energy. The sun gives off photons, tiny packets of energy, that knock electrons loose from their atoms and, depending on if the conductor is attached to the positive or negative side of the cell, create an electrical circuit. Solar yard lamps use DC energy to give off light. With direct current energy, also known as DC energy, the electrons knocked loose flow in one direction around a circuit (SunPower). SunPower Corporation gives the example of a battery powering a light bulb. The electrons move from the negative side of the battery, through the lamp, and return to the positive side of the battery (DeBono, SunPower Corp.).
People are attracted to solar panels because they utilize natural sunlight, not machines, to produce energy that is clean and does not pollute the earth with fumes and toxic gases. Solar panels are expensive, but the payment is a one time deal, unlike power bills that are monthly, as well as always being subject to change.
Small LED yard lights are popular because of the fact that they are cost efficient in addition to the fact that they pay themselves back over time. Averaging about $10.00 each, over the course of the lamp’s lifetime you would save money because the price of electricity bills for outside lights is expensive. The power bills build up and instead of turning on the light and using natural solar energy you are turning on the light and adding dollar signs. Outdoor lights not powered by solar panels are more expensive as well as less cost efficient than the LED yard lights powered by solar energy from solar panels.
Solar yard lights consist of solar cells, a battery, a photoresistor, LED light, as well as a controller board. Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells, convert the sun’s free, natural light into electricity for us human beings to utilize. Connected to the solar cells is a standard AA battery. A diode connects the battery and solar cells in addition to blocking the energy current from flowing back into the photovoltaic cells (Toothman, et al.). The lack of sunlight at night makes photovoltaic cells stop producing power. A photoresistor senses the amount of light shining from the sun enabling it to turn on or turn off the LED light inside the yard lamp. After the photoresistor senses the amount of light hitting it, the photoresistor changes its resistance to either zero or high. Furthermore, a large amount of light hitting the photoresistor results in zero resistance as well as the ability to conduct electricity well, but no light hitting the photoresistor means high resistance in addition to the poor ability to conduct electricity (HowStuffWorks). The LEDs, better known as light emitting diodes, in the yard lamp are switched on by the controller boards to produce a bright light that illuminates pathways when the sun goes down and it is night. Controller boards turn on the LEDs when the photoresistor sends signals of sensing a lack of light (“Light Emitting Diodes Work”).
A typical solar yard lamp requires between one to four regular AA batteries to properly work and illuminate the ground. These batteries are rechargeable in addition to having the life span, or capacity, of one to two years (Batteries in Fact and Fiction). The measure of the energy capacity of a battery is measured by milliamp Hours, or mAh for short. The higher the number of mAH, the more energy a battery can store, and the capacity of the battery is larger (What is mAh?). Batteries are used for several thousand reasons and can be found in multiple devices in addition to technologies, such as cell phones, cars, flashlights, and toys for children. In order to illuminate a pathway with solar yard lights, search for activities or scroll on Instagram on your mobile cellular device, or even drive two blocks down the street in a car or bus the battery must be charged.
Wi-Fi
“Wi-Fi is a technology that uses radio waves to provide network connectivity.” (CCM).
Wi-Fi enables people to communicate with one another. World-wide communication, along with compatibility with most technological devices, is one of the many advantages produced because of WiFi. When Wi-Fi is down because of hurricanes, tornados, or tropical storms people are unable to communicate quickly and efficiently leading to mass chaos, confusion, and sometimes dangerous situations.
The term hotspot refers to any area where Wi-Fi is being offered or is accessible, such as your home, a restaurant, or a public library. WiFi hotspots enable people to access the internet using their cellular device as the source of the wireless connection from just about anywhere, even a country road in Callahan. These hotspots use cellular data from your network provider to send the radio waves for connectivity (What is WiFi and How Does it Work?). Wi-Fi hotspots are a technological solution to the issue of multiple days with out typical WiFi provided by the router or modem for your home. A WiFi hotspot utilizes the cellular data linked with your cellular phone to power several forms of communication such as Snapchat, text message, or Facebook. Many computers, phones, as well as laptops, come with a built-in wireless transmitter enabling the access of a hotspot. If not, you are still able utilize a hotspot by plugging in a purchased wireless adaptor to a USB port.
Works Cited
- “Batteries in Fact and Fiction.” University of Hawaii, 08 August 1999, http:www.chem.hawaii.edu/uham/bat.html
- Brain, Marshall. “How Semiconductors Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 25 Apr. 2001, electronics.howstuffworks.com/diode.htm.
- Brain, Marshall. “How Solar Yard Lights Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 30 May 2000, home.howstuffworks.com/solar-light2.htm.
- HowStuffWorks. “How Do the Streetlights Turn on Automatically at Night?” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 28 June 2018, science.howstuffworks.comenvironmental/energy/question363.htm.
- “How Batteries Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 1 Apr. 2000, electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/battery.htm.
- “How Light Emitting Diodes Work.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 31 Jan. 2002, electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm.
- SunPower. “How Does Solar Energy Work | SunPower Solar Blog.” SunPower – United States, SunPower, 20 Oct. 2017, us.sunpower.com/blog/2017/10/25/how-does-solar-energy work/.
- Toothman, Jessika, and Scott Aldous. “How Solar Cells Work.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 1 Apr. 2000, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell.htm.
- “What is mAh?”., übergizmo, Übergizmo. https://www.ubergizmo.com/what-is/mah-milliamp-hours/
- “What is WiFi and How Does it Work?” . CCM, CCM. https://ccm.net/faq/298-what-is-wifi-and-how-does-it-work
- Zipp, Kathie, et al. “What Is an Inverter and How Does It Work?” Solar Power World, WTWH Media, LLC, 20 July 2018, www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2013/04/how-do-solar-inverters-work/.