A versatile technology

Solar canopies

Solar canopies

Solar street lamp

Solar street lamp

Domestic solar panels

Domestic solar panels

Solar powered pump

Solar powered pump

Solar cooker

Solar cooker

Photovoltaic panels on a camper

Photovoltaic panels on a camper

Solar charging

Solar charging

Power a home with solar energy

Power a home with solar energy

Compared to other renewable sources, solar power offers a much broader range of uses. For one, the resource – the sun – is available everywhere except for the most remote locations on earth. It’s also the least intrusive. Hydropower often requires the alteration to a water source, and we’ve already mentioned the huge turbines necessary to harness the wind. Solar cells, however, can be added to existing structures or more easily integrated into materials as an independent power source. Perhaps the most significant advantage is how mobile solar cells may ultimately be. Consider driving a car with all or at least a portion of the electronics powered by the sun. Or imagine camping and heating your tent through cells that are stitched into the fabric or charging a mobile device by plugging into the same tent. You could even charge your smartphone by merely plugging it into a jacket sewn with solar cells.