• photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    When it comes to renewables, it depends! Solar reflector systems, for example, concentrate sunlight onto a specific point, usually to heat water and turn a turbine. Semiconductor solar cells use the photoelectric effect to turn sunlight directly into electricity. Wind turbines run a dynamo, like the one on your bike or hand-crank radio, which generates electricity directly by basically becoming a reverse electromagnet.