Solar Energy Technology.

The article provides an update on the advances in solar energy technology. According to the authors, sunlight is a ubiquitous renewable resource that can be harnessed to produce electrical and thermal energy, lighting and to drive chemical reactions for the production of fuels and chemicals. Solar thermal technologies collect heat from the sun and then use it directly for space and water heating or convert it to electricity through conventional steam cycles, heat engines, or other generating technologies in concentrating solar systems. In the U.S., manufacturers and others are working, through research and development, to lower the cost of solar energy components and systems.