Solar Energy Question. Easy 10pts.?

Question

Describe the three factors that affect how much solar energy is received by various places on Earth.

Best Educated Answer recieves 10pts.

Answer 1

Latitude

Cloud cover

Air pollution

Answer 2

The amount of solar activity that is taking place on the sun (solar flares)

The behavior/strenght of the magnetosphere

The distance of the earth to the sun (aphelion-farthest from the sun versus perihelion-closest to the sun)

Answer 3

Latitude, for the reasons given.

Transparency of the atmosphere (cloudiness, altitude, pollution)

Local geography (at the bottom of a deep valley or in a forest doesn't get much)

Given these factors, the place getting the most solar energy is probably a high desert mountaintop in Ecuador.

Answer 4

go to

http://www.geocities.com/dieret/re/Solar...

u will find all the answers.

Answer 5

Latitude and season both affect the energy absorbed for similar reasons:

In both cases it has to do with the angle of incidence of sunlight.

At the equator (within the Tropics) the sun gets very high in the sky at noon - and so the sunlight as it hits the ground is most concentrated.

At high latitude, the sun doesn’t get high, the a beam of sunlight comes in at an oblique angle and the sunlight is spread out over a larger area and is thus more dilute.

Try using a laser pointer and shine the spot directly onto the floor, then try holding the pointer at an angle so the spot gets smeared out. The same amount of energy per sec is emitted by the laser pointer in both cases, but when the spot is smeared out the same energy is spread over a larger area, so it wouldn’t get as heated

This effect also accounts for seasons because the tilt f the earth affects the angle of incidence.

There is also the albedo - which is effective color.

If the ground is reflective (say ice or snow) more light is reflected, so less is absorbed. If the ground is dark rock (say fairly recent lava flows), not so much light is reflected so more is absorbed.

Cloud cover will also affect was is received, because the clouds reflect some light before it hits the ground.