Solar energy received from the sun not only increases the heat of an
object but is also used to change the shape of form of an object or
living things. An example is the use of solar energy to make food by
plant and as a result plants grow. These plants are then food for
animals of which we eat some of them or are eaten by other animals.

In countries where there are four seasons, solar energy is
important, without it many creatures cannot survive.

Though, solar energy in non-living things is mainly in the form of
heat and may be absorbed or transfer to its environment, the heat
energy is also transformed into other types of energy such as from
liquid to gas or change in shapes and further convert to energies
such as wind and wave. Living things converts solar energy into
other form such as kinitic energy use by creature for movement and
as well as chemical form stored in animals for future use or for
slow release back into the environment such as wood from tree.

So, solar energy is very important to earth and not only to be used
by human. If we start using solar energy for other than what it is
indented for by Nature, we begin depriving the rightful users of
solar energy and the start of climate change.

Inconclusion, it is important that we, human do not waste the energy
that is available at the moment. Though, some of these energies may
seem plentiful, inconsiderate use of them that are wasteful will be
to the destruction of the earth and mankind! These energies are to
be used by all living and non living things on earth in a balanced
manner and should not be over used by only the humans. So it is time
that we become more considerate and start wasting energy, be it
solar or others type of resources including food!

Regards,
David

--- In ClimateChangeAction@..., hugh spencer
<Hugh@...> wrote:
>
> OK - there is a basic misconception here...
>
> All energy that falls upon the earth from the sun - excluding that
which is
> directly reflected back as visible light - is adsorbed, and causes
whatever
> it is that adsorbed it to heat up. All objects that are warmer than
> absolute zero (-273.15°C) radiate energy as infra-red radiation.
The warmer
> they are - the more energy in the radiation (and the shorter the
> wavelength). An object that is warmer than its environment (say a
hot
> potato out of the fire) - will radiate infrared radiation (you can
feel
> that coming from the hot potato) - and this will continue until
such times
> the potato is the same temperature as its surroundings. At this
point, the
> radiation the potato emits is the same as that it receives from
the rest of
> the environment, all of which is radiating too, and it is then
in "thermal
> equilibrium with its environment" - and we say it has cooled to
ambient
> temperature.
>
> A piece of white-hot steel - is radiating in the visible region of
the
> spectrum (very hight radiant energy - loses a lot of heat very
fast) - and
> as it loses heat through radiation - it gets redder and darker -
and the
> wavelength of the energy emitted gets longer and longer - and the
radiant
> energy gets weaker and weaker.
>
> Conversely - any object that is cooler than its environment (a
bottle of
> coke left out of the fridge) will receive more radiation than it
emits -
> and will warm up - until it is in equilibrium.
>
> (you will notice that I have left out convection and conduction of
heat -
> we'll just concentrate on radiation - which operates everywhere -
even in a
> vacuum).
>
> It's this radiated infrared energy (from the earth's surface)
which is
> intercepted by CO2, water vapour and synthetic greenhouse gases -
and
> prevented from radiating back into space (so the earth's
temperature rises
> to a new higher equilibrium temperature - at which, again, energy
in =
> energy out. This is the basis of global warming..
>
> The energy collected by solar collectors obeys exactly the same
laws - the
> collectors heat up and re-radiate energy, the electricity that
they make
> generates, in the end, heat - which radiates. The captured energy
(by a
> solar collector) doesn't somehow become entrapped - (except very
briefly by
> charging batteries - or creating some high energy compounds - in
the end -
> the energy is released - and ends up as infrared radiation, same a
rock.
>
> The only exception to that has been the burning of fossil fuels -
where
> ancient trapped solar energy is being released - but the amount of
thermal
> energy we are speaking of is relatively miniscule - compared to
daily solar
> input. What IS causing the problem is the increase in CO2
released - and
> its shielding effect on radiated infrared energy from the earth's
surface.
>
> Hope this helps clarify things
>
> Hugh
>
>
>
>
>
> >Hugh,
> >
> >It is unfortunate that I do not have an understanding of basic
> >physics, nevertheless, you had answered the issue with your reply.
> >That we, humans had distorted the natural environment of the earth
> >and this is done through energy wastage resulting in an incomplete
> >natural transformation of the available energy on earth.
> >
> >It is not the amount of energy resources that is available but the
> >conversion of energy that creates an inbalance environment that
> >matters. Energy can be used naturally by the environment or
> >unnaturally by human.
> >
> >In simple term, if we are replacing fossil fuels with solar
energy,
> >it is estimated that 432.5EJ (energy used from fossil fuels in
2005:
> >from
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption)
> >is absorbed from the sun's ray on earth, which originally is
> >absorbed by the environment.
> >
> >With increasing energy usage by humans, more energy will be "taken
> >out" from the environment causing an inbalance situation and a
> >likely "climate change"
> >This is similar in concept with the displacement of fossil fuels
> >from under the ground into the earth's atmosphere.
> >
> >To avoid these situation, we should avoid excessive and wasteful
> >usage of these resources be it fossil fuels, solar or any other
> >alternaives.
> >
>