Ireland The use of renewable energy resources in Ireland has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. As a member of the EU, Ireland recently signed an energy agreement that committed it to generating 16% of its energy needs by renewable sources by 2020.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the heat and light from the sun that is harnessed and converted directly into other forms of energy, such as electricity.
1 Solar panels convert sun’s energy into electricity
6 Key Words
Solar energy Solar farms Solar panels Wind power Wind farms
Geothermal energy
8. How solar energy works
2 5
Any extra electricity created during very sunny days can be ‘credited’ (used later)
A converter changes this electricity, enabling it to power electrical items
To see a video 4
Items such as refrigerators, computers and TVs can be plugged into the sockets for power
3
The electricity passes through a breaker box to sockets in the building
about the workings of solar energy, go to YouTube and look up ‘How does solar energy work (SolarBuddy)’ (3:15).
Advantages z z zz zz z z
Renewable Clean, with no waste product
Solar panels are inexpensive to repair and maintain Technology is cheap to install
Disadvantages zz zz
Not possible at night
Weather dependent; cloudy weather lessens the amount of solar energy created
1. According to figure 8, what happens to any extra electricity created but not used by the home or business?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy? Do you think the advantages outweigh the disasdvantages, or do you think other sources of renewable energy might be better in Ireland?
