PV Gap

Matthew Said:

Are light, sound, heat, wind, food digestion, thoughts, all forms of energy or do they all energy producing?

We Answered:

Neither.

Nothing in the universe produces energy. Energy only gets converted.

Energy can not be reused. Once converted to heat, it's gone.

The theory to look at is thermodynamics. It's all very well understood since the middle of the 19th century. Sadly, it is not particularly easy to digest and many people get confused about it. But there is are easy ways to make sense of all of thermodynamics:

1) There is no free lunch.

2) If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

What you are looking for violates both.

Lisa Said:

wind and water are often called indirect forms of solar energy. Is this an accurate statement?

We Answered:

Accurate, but not precise. The sun is the main driver on the worlds energy gradient. In other words, it performs the positive entropy for energy that is related to the sun on this world.

Cindy Said:

How is solar energy transformed to other forms of energy?

We Answered:

It's transferred in many different ways, for example:

Sunlight causes our bodies to produce Vitamin D
Plants use light for photosynthesis - we eat plants and so on..
Solar Panels - light is converted to electrical energy using a special type of cell :)

Jason Said:

What is difference between solar power and any other forms of energy?

We Answered:

The main disadvantage of solar power is its low energy density - you have to cover a vast amount of land to get the same output as a small fossil fuel or nuclear power station. Also there is the problem of intermittency due to cloud cover, and the fact that you can only generate power during daylight hours.

Geraldine Said:

A friend says the energy of oil and coal is actually a form of solar energy. Is your friend correct, or mistak

We Answered:

Survey Says..............

Number 3.

Tell him what he's won!

Joel Said:

How is coal considered a form of solar energy?

We Answered:

Coal would not normally be considered a form of solar energy, but since coal is ultimately derived from organic material, mostly wetland plants, which grew via the sun's energy, one could think of coal a form of solar energy; perhaps if you happen to live for a billion years or so.