A more serious concern for widespread use is that solar energy is an intermittent energy source, as are wind and tides. Therefore, storage of excess energy or backup sources of energy are needed for times when there is not adequate sunshine for the panels to function efficiently. Improved battery technology has made use of photovoltaic panels easier for users in remote areas who live “of the grid” of the public utility company and need to store excess power. In some areas, users of solar panels who are connected to the grid may sell back any surplus power to the public utility company.

Development of thin film technology has made solar power viable for use in some forms of transportation. For all its advantages, however solar power remains the least used of the main alternative energy sources.
Questions to be answered (in writing):

1. Why is the solar energy considered the source of any other energy?

2. What are the two ways (when) the solar energy is used?

3. How did the solar energy consumption drop?

4. Where is the solar power used?

Modern Biomass
Biomass simply means fuel produced from organic sources. Traditional biomass such as wood, charcoal, and other plant matter has been the fuel of choice for thousands of years, and it remains so in many parts of the world. Modern biomass, however, includes other types of fuel derived from plants, such as the residues of existing agricultural, livestock, and lumber industries, from forests planted and harvested renewably, and from farms dedicated to this purpose.

Biomass needs to be produced on a sustainable basis, whether on deforested lands or on excess agricultural land, and never from virgin forests. Some of the most suitable locations are areas where widespread deforestation has already occurred, but there are still other possible sources of biomass. For example, residues from the processing of pulpwood, cereals, and logging operations can be processed into gas or burned in power plants to generate electricity. Methane from urban landfills and from animal and human wastes is another potential type of fuel derived from biomass, although the derivation of fuels from landfills requires the labor-in

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