Abstract

Solar energy is considered clean, renewable and seemingly inexhaustible source of energy. Solar Energy has been used since ancient times for light and as heat, but in the 20th century, thanks to technological advances, different devices have been developed capable of transforming the energy from the sun into distributable energy, such as electricity. The following article presents an overview of solar energy, presenting the benefits and passive and active technologies. Photovoltaic cells, semiconductors and the conversion of solar energy are also presented.