Solar Energy Introduction: The Earth captures approximately 342 W/m2 of energy from the sun. This energy is in the form of solar radiation, which the atmosphere reflects approximately 77 W/m2 and absorbs approximately 68 W/m2 of solar radiation per year. Therefore, the Earth's surface receives, on average, approximately 197 W/m2 of solar radiation per year. This amount of energy received is approximately more than 10,000 times the amount of all energy consumed by humans each year. This energy can be used to produce electricity or heat. This energy source is not being used to its potential considering the effort required to store and transport this energy. Of course, only during daylight hours is solar energy directly accessible. Depending on the weather conditions and the season, the intensity of the energy varies in different places. The solar radiation that reaches the upper layer of the atmosphere is equal to 1366 W/m2. At the equator the radiation reaching the ground is approximately 1000 W/m2. In the lower atmosphere, due to the thicker atmosphere, the energy is about 0.5 W/m2. Conditions such as clouds, pollution and aerosols can also reduce the amount of radiation reaching the ground. In North America, the average available solar energy ranges from 3,000 to 9,000 Wh/m2 per day. In Northern Europe solar energy varies from 2000 to 3000 Wh/m2 per day. In contrast, the tropics receive around 6000 Wh/m2 per day. There are many different ways to use solar energy. Some technologies are used to produce heat from solar energy. Other technologies use solar energy to produce electricity. Solar Thermal Energy Water Heaters: The simplest way to exploit solar radiation is as thermal energy. One way to harness this solar energy is to heat water. Aro...... in the center of the paper ...... center the solar radiation on a single point above the mirror. The satellite dish receiver is operated by a computer and uses a dual-axis system to track the sun. Some of these systems use a Stirling engine to generate electricity. With these receiver focal points, temperatures can reach temperatures above 100°C. At this temperature, the energy created is efficient. Photovoltaic systems Thanks to the photovoltaic effect, electricity can be created directly from sunlight. Some semiconductor materials exposed to sunlight can create electron-hole pairs, which can be harvested to produce electricity. This occurs when photons have energy above a certain threshold. These photons have shorter wavelengths. In silicon, the threshold for the production of electron holes lies in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.Silicon: electricity storageEconomy and environmentConclusions