SOLAR ENERGY -- THE ENERGY OF THE FUTURE?      	About 47 per cent of the energy that the sun releases  to the earth actually reaches the ground.  About a third is   reflected directly back into space by the atmosphere.  The   time in which solar energy is available, is also the time we   least need it least - daytime.  Because the sun's energy   cannot be stored for use another time, we need to convert   the suns energy into an energy that can be stored.    One possible method of storing solar energy is by   heating water that can be insulated. The water is heated by   passing it through hollow panels.  Black-coated steal plates   are used because dark colours absorb heat more efficiently.    However this method only supplies enough energy for   activities such as washing and bathing.  The solar panels   generate "low grade" heat, that is, they generate low   temperatures for the amount of heat needed in a day.      In order to generate "high grade" heat, intense enough   to convert water into high-pressure steam which can then be   used to turn electric generators there must be another   method.  The concentrated beams of sunlight are collected in   a device called a solar furnace, which acts on the same   principles as a large magnifying glass.  The solar furnace   takes the sunlight from a large area and by the use of   lenses and mirrors can focus the light into a very small   area.  Very elaborate solar furnaces have machines that   angle the mirrors and lenses to the sun all day.  This   system can provide sizeable amounts of electricity and   create extremely high temperatures of over 6000 degrees   Fahrenheit.                       	Solar energy generators are very clean, little waste is   emitted from the generators into the environment.  The use   of coal, oil and gasoline is a constant drain, economically   and environmentally.    Will solar energy be the wave of the future?  Could the   worlds requirement of energy be fulfilled by the   "powerhouse" of our galaxy - the sun?  Automobiles in the   future will probably run on solar energy, and houses will   have solar heaters.      