Top Facts About Solar Energy
What is solar energy?
Solar energy is the most easily available source of energy. It is free in form and therefore no one owns it. Solar energy does not pollute the environment and is the most unblemished source of energy.
Top Facts About Solar Energy
As the sun fizzes away, solar energy continues to be a reliable source of energy, and our ability to generate solar energy is highly dependent on technology, location, costs, and legislation. Sources: 1
Solar energy is the richest energy resource on earth. Every day 173,000 terawatts of solar energy hit the planet. According to Science, enough solar energy is generated every hour to power humanity for a year. Thanks to the sun, the most common renewable energy source on earth, we have solar energy to generate energy. Sources: 5, 11
The amount of potential solar energy that falls on the Earth’s surface every 1 hour is equivalent to the Earth’s total annual energy consumption. Today, there are 89 petawatts (PW) of potential available on Earth to generate solar energy, making the sun the world’s most widely available source of energy. Read on to see why the world of solar energy is so popular, how it affects our health, how many solar panels cost, and more. Sources: 1, 4, 9
Solar energy is the technology that uses solar energy to illuminate a house or to generate hot water to heat a house, as shown in the Solar Tankless Water Heater Review: Electricity. Solar energy goes beyond the use of solar energy to power a house. When solar energy is captured by solar panels and converted into electricity, it can supply households and businesses with electricity. Sources: 2, 6, 7
Solar energy is a renewable energy source that is low-maintenance and easy to install. The main advantage of solar energy is that it produces no pollutants and is one of the cleanest energy sources. Here are a few facts about solar energy that will help you assess the potential of this renewable energy source to meet global needs. Sources: 2
Solar energy does not generate noise or pollution because solar panels generate energy from the sun’s rays. The sun is such an abundant source of energy that solar panels can absorb and convert the energy they do not need from direct sunlight. Sources: 1, 6
Solar energy can power portable devices such as radios, phone chargers, and calculators. It can also be used as a solar chimney for passive cooling, heating, and ventilation systems. People like solar energy because our body needs solar energy to carry out certain important chemical reactions to form vitamin D. Sources: 7, 12
Solar energy has been praised as an inexhaustible source of fuel that is environmentally friendly and silent. When solar panels are installed in a building, they have minimal impact on the environment. Sources: 8, 12
Solar panels produce about 1 Kilowatt (kW) of solar energy per unit – unit – the equivalent of 170 pounds of coal or 300 pounds of carbon dioxide. According to some estimates, one square meter of solar panels produces an output of about 10 watts. Sources: 12
You can reduce your carbon footprint by using solar energy because it is green renewable energy. Solar energy has no moving parts and requires no additional fuel other than sunlight to generate electricity. The amount of solar energy produced is about half of the annual electricity consumption in the United States. Sources: 2, 3, 12
In 2016, the average cost of solar energy was $0.12 per kilowatt-6 compared to other energy sources. The total installation package costs an average of $16,800, but if you apply for tax credits, the total installation is $10,045 or $134,758. Solar energy itself is a free source of energy. Once you install your solar panels, you no longer have to pay heating and electricity bills, and the amount you save on electricity bills averages $1,300 per household after you pay your initial investment in installing a solar system. Sources: 1, 6
When switching to a solar system, you should not take the initial value of the system at face value, because the total amount you save by investing in solar energy is the value. Many states allow you to sell off the excess solar energy that you generate, which means that you not only earn the cost of your panels back but also gain a profit from the energy in the long run. You can also offset the costs of your solar systems by saving energy. Sources: 1, 4, 6
Solar installations can also monetize themselves in the form of a Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SERC). The biggest hurdle to affordable solar energy remains the soft cost of permits, development plans, and connecting a solar plant to an electricity grid. Solar panels for the home have proven to be cheaper. Sources: 4, 5, 7
If you consider purchasing solar panels for your home, you will find that there is a lot of learning when it comes to solar energy. Solar energy will remain here and the longer you wait to install your solar panels the more savings you’ll miss. The main reason for the irresistible combination of modern solar panel efficiency, current savings, and solar incentives is that all about solar energy. Sources: 0, 4
To better understand why solar energy is becoming more popular, we have compiled a list of the five most important facts about solar energy. Here are 16 interesting facts about solar energy to put the idea of installing solar panels in perspective. In this article, we will break down eight facts about solar energy that may surprise you. Sources: 0, 4, 9
Australia is a leader in household solar energy, with more than a fifth of Australian households using solar energy. The first country in the world to install solar panels on a house. Sources: 10
Solar energy has been proven to provide salt from seawater at a low cost and produce safe and clean drinking water for cities and communities. Solar systems are also safer without the risk of chemical leaks, explosions, fires, or other energy sources. Sources: 7, 10
As the price of solar panels falls, solar energy is becoming more and more attractive to Americans. The chances of using solar energy as an important source of energy are increasing, and SEMP Solaris is here to help you become part of the solar movement. By supporting the solar industry by investing in your solar system, you are helping Americans get back to work.
What is the Source of Solar Energy?
The sun is the source of solar energy, the most essential source of energy. The heat and light energy that it radiates can be absorbed and transformed into electric energy and utilized for various activities and processes. It is free in form and therefore can be used abundantly. It’s a nonconventional source of energy.
History
The utilization of solar energy has existed since prehistoric times. There have been efforts made to utilize solar energy in the most efficient way possible. Earlier most of the efforts were academic-based and only for study purposes. But now, since the reform period, the efforts are being applied to practical life as well, as these efforts have proved to be cost-effective.
Solar energy is cost-effective. Solar panels are used for transforming solar energy into various other forms of energy.
Solar panels are very useful and productive. Solar panels and various other solar devices absorb the heat and light energy from the sun throughout the daytime and then help us meet our requirements as necessary. Solar energy can be transformed into electric energy, light energy, etc.
Details or facts about solar energy:
Essential facts about solar energy are that it is an energy that is harnessed from the heat or sunlight of the sun. This heat is utilized by various technologies such as solar powers, solar heaters, artificial photosynthesis, and various other contraptions in generating electricity. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy and has an unlimited supply. It is infinite, can be replenished and its supply would probably never run out.
Solar Energy is Basically of Two Types-
a) First is Solar photovoltaic (PV) –
They directly transform the radiance of the sun into operational energy through a PV cell which smothers a semi-conducting component,
b) The second one is Concentrating Solar power (CSP) –
These assist in accumulating sunlight energy within a heat receiver transforming that sun’s heat into mechanical energy, and then finally into, solar thermal powered electricity.
Various facts about solar energy…
• All life forms have been surviving on solar energy as it is the major source of energy.
• The sun is 90 million miles away from the earth but it takes less than 10 minutes for the light energy to travel that distance and touch the earth’s surface. A free form of energy.
• Solar energy utilization is further categorized into active and passive technologies. Photovoltaic cells or panels and solar thermal panels are examples of active technology. The construction of rooms such that there is a favorable use of sunlight with improved air-circulation would be an example of passive technology.
• Only 70% of the total sunlight is ingested by the land, water, and clouds, the rest is cast back to the space.
• Solar energy is also used in the process of photosynthesis. The chemical gas that is emitted during the process of photosynthesis helps in the making of fossil fuels.
• Solar energy is used in the creation of salt from the seawater, it is one of the oldest techniques that is being followed since the pre-historic period.
• Photo-voltaic cells are used to convert solar energy into electric energy, the process is known as the photoelectric effect. Concentrated solar power can also be used for converting solar energy into electric energy.
• Fossil fuels have been proved to be one of the major sources of energy to the world and solar energy helps in the creation of fossil fuels.
• Solar energy can be used for domestic purposes as well using solar panels, they can be used for cooking, heating water, and various other domestic purposes.
• Solar energy is pollution-free and it does not affect the environment in any harmful way.
• Solar energy can be exploited into electric energy using various renewable energy techniques as it is the most extensively used renewable energy.
• Spaceships have been using solar powers for various missions outside space by different countries, as the sun is the only source of energy there.
• Solar power plant covers around 1000 acres of land in Mojave desert in California. It happens to be the largest solar power plant in the world.
• Solar panels do not need regular maintenance or service once installed and they last for a very long period, for years.
• Kilowatt-hour is the unit used for measuring solar energy.
• Hefty investment is one reason that disallows people from using solar panels in large numbers.
Few parts of the world have already started following the trend of using solar energy including India. But, the success only lies in people’s inception.
Advantages:
Avoids greenhouse gas emission
Advantageous Facts About Solar Energy is that it dodges the harmful greenhouse gases which are caused by fossil fuels, and apart from panel production, it does not emit or emanate any kind of greenhouse gases. Solar energy is the energy got from the sun – a process devoid of any sort of harmful gases and products.
Ongoing Free Energy
Apart from the cost required for just the basic or conventional installation and maintenances, no cost is needed as the entire energy is free. There is no requirement of extensive raw materials like oil and coal and needs basic labor-only as compared to other power production houses. Raw materials are not required to be continuously extracted and neither is the need for transportation costs.
It is efficient as well as an infinite source:
According to the above-mentioned facts about solar energy, we all are aware that is an infinite source of energy and that it is obtained directly from the sun it will never fade. It is a renewal energy source. Another benefit of it is that it is extremely environmentally friendly and does not inflict any damage to the ecosystem. It is pollution-free.
Disadvantages:
• One major disadvantage of this is that electricity generation rests entirely on how much a country is exposed to the sun. It can further be reduced due to its climatic phenomenon and conditions
• Solar energy panel installations can lead to big expenses as well as straggle of precious time for many years and savings on energy bills to equal initial procurement.
• The main source of solar energy is the sun; hence it can only be got during the daytime. At night it cannot be extracted.
Thus with the above-mentioned article all the relevant facts about solar energy, I think is quite clear to us.
Cited Sources
- https://www.solarpowerauthority.com/50-facts-about-solar-power/ 1
- https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-solar-energy-facts.php 2
- https://www.energy.gov/articles/top-6-things-you-didnt-know-about-solar-energy 5
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/solar-power 8
- https://news.energysage.com/8-facts-solar-energy/ 9
- https://www.mysolar.com/solar-fun-facts/index.html 12
