The energy from the light from the sun may be easily captured as heat. South facing windows warm homes in winter by capturing the energy from light. Doing more directed work requires more effort.

Solar pond experiment. A very nice solar pond experiment illustrates a method of containing heat in a concentrated area where it can be converted to useful energy. Setting up a solar pond is safe enough for a student project or demonstration. You can even have students estimate the amount of energy captured from the sun, if they measure the heat capacity of the salt solution.

Photovoltaic cells produce electrical energy from light. While thermodynamics limit the maximum energy that can be utilized, these cells usually display low efficiencies because the mechanism is specific to the wavelength of light and quantum energy levels of the materials in the cells. Many applications and uses of these cells are discussed in more detail in an additional course which addresses energy level issues.

See the course on Interactions of Matter and Energy.