Solar Energy for Kids

Dear Readers,

This page is meant only for readers who go to school. Hence if you are an adult, exit the page by clicking on my name and take a look at the energy related columns and articles that I have written. If you are the parent of a school going kid or teenager, get up from the PC, give your child a bowl of cookies and leave him/her in peace, till I explain the concept of solar energy. I decided to write this column when a sweet, small fifth grader from my neighborhood came and asked me "Mr. Scholasticus, what is solar energy? I did not understand the concept in school the other day, and the text book also does not help very much." This is what I told her...

"Little one, when you look up at the blue morning sky, what do you see? The sun of course! The sun is a star that is full of gases which are continuously burning. It's just like a stove or a range that emits heat when it burns. But the amount of gas that is burnt is very large in case of the sun. The burning of gases makes the sun very, very hot. The gas that burns, also causes the sun to glow. And this is how we get light and heat from the sun, in the form of sun rays.

Solar Energy for Kids - What does Solar energy mean?

Now, before I tell you anything let me tell you something about energy. So what is energy? Energy is a force or rather a power with the help of which you can do things. Something like lifting a very heavy book. Based upon its different uses, energy is classified into different types such as a jar of sweets, contains a lot of potential energy as there is a lot of candy in there. Or your roller skates have a lot of kinetic energy in them because they go so fast! Or the fire crackers that you use have a lot of chemical energy in them. Another very good example, is the bulb that glows as a result of electrical energy. Similarly, the rays of sun which travel to the surface of the earth, have a lot of heat and light in them, and hence they possess solar energy.

Now, what is the exact use and advantage of solar energy? Well in this article, 'solar energy for kids', I have explained the uses, benefits and advantages of solar energy.

I want you to try out something. If the weather is sunny, stick out your palm in the sun for a couple of minutes. You will feel that your hand is becoming hot. It means that the sun rays that contain solar energy are capable of heating things.

One of the earliest invention that works on solar energy, is the solar cooker. Now what is a solar cooker? Imagine a metallic vessel full of rice and water kept in the sun for many hours. Well it would certainly become very hot won't it? The heat in turn cooks the rice. The solar cooker works on the same principle. The only difference is that a mirror is used to concentrate or rather reflect the rays on the vessel, so that you need less time to cook the rice. This same capability of sun rays, to heat things, is utilized for many similar purposes. For example, bath water is heated by the sun rays in water heater or electricity is generated by solar cell due to solar energy. A group of solar cells is known as a solar panel.

Solar Energy for Kids - Solar Energy Facts for Kids

So what is the advantage of using solar energy. The basic advantage of using solar energy is that it's an exhaustible source of energy. We will keep receiving solar energy so long as the sun is there. It means that we do not have to worry about issues like shortage of gas, petrol, diesel or electricity.

The use of solar energy also does not create smoke, thus avoiding the air to get polluted. By the time you people grow up, most probably solar energy might have replaced all the other types of fuels."

I hope that you enjoyed my write up on 'Solar Energy for Kids', it was certainly a very good experience, writing for all the school goers.