The space based solar power technology can use photovoltaic conversion and solar dynamic conversion for converting the renewable solar energy into direct current or electricity. Wireless transmission methods can be used to transmit the solar power from space to the earth. Microwaves or laser radiations are the best methods used for transmission. The solar power on earth is received by using microwave antennae. For the proper reception of solar power as an alternative power source, the antenna size and wavelength must be small.

The space based solar power systems have advantages. One main advantage is that alternative power stores are not needed for the storage of solar power. This is because there is no air in space and so the amount and intensity of renewable solar energy received will be more and it will not be affected by weather conditions as well. These systems have a great potential if used properly.

Renewable solar energy is used in a variety of devices that absorb solar energy and then convert it to a useful form for various purposes. There are several ways in which solar energy can be used. In a solar oven, solar energy is used to cook food. In this oven a concave mirror is used to concentrate the sun’s energy onto the food that has to be cooked. Water can be heated in devices called solar collectors. The solar collectors are mounted on roof tops. It is ensured that they are installed at places where there is sufficient sunlight so that they can absorb solar energy and use it to heat up the water.

Solar batteries are the equipments that use solar energy to produce power. These devices use photocells to produce solar power. In a solar furnace, a number of mirrors are used on sides to form one large concave mirror that can reflect sunlight and use it for heating purposes.

Solar energy can also be used to meet the electricity needs of industries and also for the purpose of heating, lighting and water pumping.

Solar energy is so widely used because it is a renewable alternative energy source that is readily available and reliable.

There are a number of advantages of solar energy. The most important of them is the fact that it is a renewable source of energy whose supply will last till there is sun. It is also a non polluting source of energy. The use of solar cells requires low maintenance and these are long lasting. The devices that use solar energy are easy to install and operate. As a green renewable source, it does not adversely affect the eco-system. Solar energy is also a cost effective alternative energy source.

Solar energy also has many disadvantages. The devices that use this alternative energy resource are very expensive. Adequate sunshine must be ensured for exploring the full potential of renewable solar energy. Many solar energy devices use cadmium which is a highly toxic substance and can cause the degradation of the environment. This alternative energy source cannot be used at night for the generation of solar energy.

Solar energy as an alternative energy source has not been utilized to its full potential. This is because the methods of harnessing solar energy are few and not efficient. New and improved methods must be developed for effective trapping of solar energy so that it can be utilized in a better manner.

There are 19 companies that have submitted applications to build solar energy or wind facilities on a parcel of 500,000 desert acres, but Senator Diane Feinstein announced she would introduce a bill setting 600,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management holdings in the Mojave Desert off-limits to solar energy projects. “Such development would violate the spirit of what conservationists had intended when they donated much of the land to the public,” she said. “It would destroy the entire Mojave Desert ecosystem,” added David Myers, executive director of The Wildlands Conservancy, which originally dedicated some of the land to the BLM.

All this may seem like doublespeak, but it’s being put into effect in California right now. The state has adopted a “renewable portfolio mandate,” which says that it must get 20 percent of its electricity from so-called “renewables” by 2020. This leaves solar energy companies in a position of buying anything some budding entrepreneur offers them. Thinly funded companies are furiously drawing up plans to fill California deserts with solar installations, knowing the utilities will have to buy anything they generate.

PG&E signed a large deal with Cleantech America, also based in San Francisco. As part of their agreement, Cleantech America will build a 5-megawatt solar plant near Fresno, California. The company said that when the facility is finished in 2009, it will be California’s largest solar power plant.

Skeptics still question the viability of solar energy cells, particularly in relation to just how much wattage they can actually generate. Projections of even modest growth over the next decade still conclude that photovoltaic solar energy cells increase a mere 2.5% of the global electric consumption, even with First Solar Energy novel cadmium telluride technology. Furthermore, a recent UC Berkeley study examining the efficacy of different composite materials systems in photovoltaic concluded that the three most common solar energy industry materials: cadmium telluride, silicon and copper indium gallium selenide, all have limitations in terms of abundance and preparation. This drives prices up and severely limits the competitiveness of solar energy in the alternative energy market. However, the study concludes that there is an abundance of lesser-known materials that may not outperform the current top three components in solar energy conversion, but surpass them in both cost-efficiency and overall abundance, thereby negating their inferior productivity. This discovery, coupled with First Solar Energy innovation, has left some industry experts very optimistic about the future of solar power and its potential.