More and more countries are investing in the bigger photovoltaic power stations, like Germany and Portugal. More Solar Power Terrestrial solar power is a predictable and intermittent source of energy, which means even though solar power is not readily available all the time, people can still predict it using a certain degree of accuracy when the energy source will or will not be available. It is being widely used for certain purposes, such as providing your home with an alternative source for energy and electricity, thereby allowing you to greatly reduce the cost of your energy and electric consumption by a considerable margin. Certain solar energy systems provide you with different advantages and benefits depending on what you intend to use them on. Solar Energy Today Nowadays, in our more technologically advanced times, solar energy has now garnered a lot of renewed interest and focus, especially since solar energy has now become more affordable, and offers more use and application in our modern day needs. Solar energy cells are actually being used in a lot of businesses and homes today, and are even responsible for powering most household appliances, office equipments, and are even used to power cars. Other setups may only last for a number of months or weeks at most if external conditions are very harsh or can damage the material easily. You can choose to create your own solar cells or just purchase from a source. The longevity of the setup will depend on the quality of the material, the use and applications. The benefits of Stirling solar over PV cells are the higher conversion efficiency from sunlight into electricity, plus a longer lifetime. Power Tower A solar power tower includes a wide array of heliostats or tracking reflectors that focus light on a central receiver over a tower. Power towers are considered to be the most cost effective and provide better energy storage and higher efficiency compared to other CSP technologies. Here are just some of the possible advantages of using solar energy. Solar Hot Water Heater One of the more common uses of solar energy is for solar hot water heaters. Most homes in America actually have a hot water heater, which is probably why it accounts for about a quarter of the total energy consumption of a typical American home.