Electric heating uses relatively inexpensive tools to directly convert electrical energy into heat energy with a conversion efficiency of roughly 100%. Applications that are frequently used include industrial processes, cooking, water heating, and space heating. An electrical appliance that transforms an electric current into heat is called an electric heater. Every electric heater contains a heating element that is an electrical resistor and operates on the principle of Joule heating. When an electric current flows through a resistor, the electrical energy is transformed into heat energy. The active element in most contemporary electric heaters is nichrome wire; the heating element shown on the right is nichrome wire supported by ceramic insulators.
The technology that is utilized to collect and convert solar energy is known as solar energy. In 2011, less than 0.1 percent of the world's energy consumption was met by the technology. Many people are familiar with 'photovoltaic cells,' often known as solar panels, which are used in items like spacecraft, roofs, and handheld calculators. Semiconductor materials, similar to those used in computer chips, are used to make the cells. Electrons are dislodged from their atoms when sunlight strikes the cells. The cell produces electricity when the electrons move through it. Solar-thermal power plants use a variety of methods to concentrate the sun's energy as a heat source on a much bigger scale. The heat is then utilized to boil water, which powers a steam turbine to produce electricity in a manner similar to that of coal and nuclear power plants and serve thousands of people with electricity. In one method, sunlight is focused on an oil pipe that passes through the center o...
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