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Disclaimer

This Presentation may contain Copyrighted Material, DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

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The Sun as an Energy Source

An Introduction to the Science Behind Solar Energy

Kevin Young

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The Sun

A star that is very close

To Earth

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This is not a new concept…

The sun’s energy has been used for centuries to:

Dry clothes

Dry meats

Plants use solar energy to make food through a process called “photosynthesis”

Therefore, fossil fuels are solar energy stored for billions of years

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Journey to the center of the Sun

Corona

Chromosphere

Photosphere

Convective Envelope

Radiative Envelope

Core

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The Birth of Solar Energy: The Core

Solar energy is “made” in the core

T = 15.6 million degrees Celsius

156,000 times boiling water

P = 250 million atmospheres

250 million times the pressure at Earth’s surface

It is a product of nuclear fusion

The energy travels through the sun’s layers, solar system, and eventually reaches Earth

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Nuclear Fusion

A special chemical reaction

Simply, when two atomic nucleii are joined to form a larger nucleus,

Energy is given off or absorbed

Hydrogen is fused to form Helium in the sun

Slide 8

Atoms!

Everything is made up of atoms

Your desk

Your body

Air

Water

They are the building block of the universe.

Different substances are made of different atoms. These are called chemicals.

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Examples of atoms

Hydrogen (part of water)

Oxygen (what we breathe and the other part of water)

Helium (what makes balloons float)

Sulfur (what makes some water stink)

Sodium and Chloride (these two make up table salt)

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Atomic Structure

Simple Bohr Atomic Model

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Atomic Structure: Hydrogen (H)

Hydrogen contains one proton and one electron