PV Gap

Marcia Said:

ways we turn solar into energy we use?

We Answered:

You can turn light energy directly into electrical energy by using photovoltaic cells (solar panels). These are what satellites in Earth orbit use, with those big flat panels.

You can also use sunlight to heat water to turn a turbine. This is how some solar power plants out in Arizona does it-- An array of mirrors focus sunlight onto one spot on a heating tower where water is boiled by the concentrated sunlight. The steam is used to turn a turbine to turn a generator to produce electricity.

Those are the two most common that I can think of.