Solar energy is the capturing of the heat from the sun to create power. This power is used to heat water for your home and other institutions.   Water for people around the world is made safe to drink by the use of solar energy.  Because of solar energy, greenhouses can grow our food that is out of season year round.  Some of our metals plants can now use solar energy to melt materials without harming the environment.  Solar energy is being used more and more to replace old forms of power that have to be transported, and that is dangerous to our health and society.  

A photovoltaic cell, better know as solar cell, is the means by which sunlight is converted to direct current.  This is one way solar energy is converted.  Solar cells are mainly used to power things such as calculators and any other remote location devices.  As of today, all satellite systems in space use solar energy to power instruments on board.  Another use for solar energy is through Solar Power Plants which use the heat from thermal collectors, to heat a liquid to which makes steam, and to turn generators to produce electricity.  The big disadvantage to solar energy is that it is not constant at any one place all the time.  It is a factor of the locations and conditions of which the sun is abundant, or the amount of solar collectors at a given spot on earth.  Without Charles Fritts' first solar cell in the 1880's, we would not be where we are today with solar energy.  This technology keeps growing and improving our way of living.