The earth is actually 150 million kilometers 93 million miles from the sun which is why the sun looks rather smaller to us further away than it appears in this picture. Solar energy is an umbrella term used to refer to the light and heat a. Solar energy notes sunwind solar car kits and solar. Solar radiation may be converted directly into electricity by solar cells photovoltaic cells.
Solar energy facts and advantages about solar power fortum. The lower rate of pollutions and lower energy bills are only two facts that contribute to the argument that solar energy is beneficial in the long run for both nature and pocket. Last up in our list of 15 solar energy facts is that solar energy can actually save you money. Heat from solar panels is often used for space heating and for hot water. It has been used for thousands of years in many different ways by people all over the world. Solar technologies are also very expensive and require a lot of land area to collect the suns energy. As of 2011, the technology produced less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand. The total amount of solar energy incident on earth is vastly in excess of the worlds energy requirements and could satisfy all future energy needs if suitably harnessed. Harnessing energy from the sun holds great promise for meeting future energy needs because solar energy is a renewable and clean energy. There is a fact, or if you wish, a law, governing all natural phenomena that are known to date.
Solar energy doesnt work at night without a storage device such as a battery, and cloudy weather can make the technology unreliable during the day. Before the industrial revolution, the main source of energy was wood and biomass, which is a secondary form of solar energy. As well as its traditional human uses in heating, cooking, and drying, it is used today to make electricity where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote places and in space. Facts about solar energy you should know zme science. Part i we provide the reader with some general facts on energy in chapter 1, summarise the current status of. One of the most interesting positive facts about solar energy is. Enlightening facts about solar energy you should know. Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important thing is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be harnessed in all areas of the world and is available every day. There is no known exception to this lawit is exact so far as we know. Fossil fuels will eventually run out and the future of nuclear power is uncertain. Us solar panel installations smaller than or equal to 10kw in size dropped in price approximately 14% in 2012 3. Solar energy, radiation from the sun capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity.
In other words, if one square meter were available for conversion of solar energy to electricity at 100% efficiency, the energy produced would be sufficient for just two or three light bulbs. This fusion typically involves two hydrogen atoms being compressed. Pdf the history of using solar energy researchgate. This solar cell used an element, silicon, not used previously for this purpose.
Solar energy comes from the light of the sun, not from heat. Humanity has now declared its readiness to accelerate the transition to a lowcarbon economy, conscious of the finite. Whilst the initial cost of solar photovoltaic cells is quite high, a solar panel system will help to reduce your energy bills. Solar energy refers to energy that comes from the sun and has been used by humans for a long time for things like heating, cooking food, removing salt from seawater and things like drying clothes. Solar energy facts cool kid facts fun facts for kids. Recent facts about photovoltaics in germany fraunhofer ise. This was the headline in the new york times on 4 april 1931.
Solar energy is the technology used to harness the suns energy and make it useable. It turned out to be a premonition, since, 80 years later and electricity is being supplied to millions of human beings in the world from renewable energies such as solar. At the moment, the state is actually producing more solar energy than it has the infrastructure to consume. The total amount of solar energy incident on earth is vastly in excess of the worlds current and anticipated energy requirements. Installing 9,000 solar panels at manufacturing facilities in bethlehem, for example, is going to prevent climate change pollution that can be otherwise caused by five. Solar energy has been used by humans for a long time for uses such as heating, cooking food, removing salt from seawater and drying clothes. Facts about solar history the first commerciallyviable photovoltaic solar cell was invented in 1954 by a physicist at bell labs, starting the process that would lead to todays solar panel. The challenge of solar energy utilization is to concentrate it. Unlike other types of energy, the sun wont ever run out. Pdf the spectrum of solar energy is quite wide and its intensity varies according to the timing of the day and geographic location. Silicon is a cheap and easily produced metal which is still used in solar panels today.
Solar energy research paper and reflection vanja babunski. We live in the glow of a star named sol, and we call it solar energy solar flares click me. Solar energy never ends solar energy is dependent on the sun, which will be with us for a billion more years. As technology has improved, solar power costs have decreased and it has become a more viable alternative, competing with energy sources such as coal and oil. Solar heating introduction harnessing energy form the sun holds great promise for meeting future energy needs because the sun is a renewable and clean energy resource. Until the sun fizzles out, solar power will continue to be a very reliable energy source. Thats why were investing heavily in solar plants and why we are now offering solar kits to our customers in finland, norway and sweden. We will begin with a quote from the feynman lectures on physics. Some of the most common applications are hot water, steam, drying and dehydration processes, washing, cleaning, preheating, concentration, pasteurization, sterilization, food, paper industry, textile industry, chemical industry, plastic industry, and industrial space heating 57. We started out concentrating the suns heat with glass and mirrors to light fires. For these reasons, other energy sources need to be harnessed. Solar panels get energy from the sun for people to use. When solar panels are installed under the right conditions, they can offer a return on investment roi over their lifetime. The conversion from solar energy to electrical energy is done by using solar pv.
Pdf on jun 1, 2017, lorand szabo and others published the history of using solar energy find, read and cite all the research you need on. Every day, the sun gives off far more energy than we need to power everything on earth. Sand helps make solar panels in 1954 scientists discovered that silicon, mostly found in sand, created electricity when the sun shone on it. You can use solar energy to generate electricity for your home with photovoltaic solar cells. It is becoming cheaper to make electricity from solar energy and in. Solar energy application an overview sciencedirect topics. Solar energy has been used to cook food, power vehicles, power homes, and is totally free and renewable. You can use solar energy to heat your home, water, and swimming pool. As the world looks for new energy sources, solar energy is becoming far more important. Understanding the different ways you can use solar energy for your home is one of the most important solar energy facts you should know.
We can theoretically light up 6 100w lights if we capture all the radiation from a square meter on a normal sunny day. Energy as this book is on solar energy, it is good to start the discussion with some general thoughts on energy. Solar energy is energy from the sun as a result of nuclear fusion on the suns surface. Recent facts about photovoltaics in germany, fraunhofer ise, download from. Read more about solar energy production and or solar. Solar energy applications in industry are divided into two main categories. Like electricity and gas, solar energy can also be used as power. Solar energy 315 diluted form, at a rate of about 220 wm2 see figure 31. Solar electricity introduction harnessing energy from the sun holds great promise for meeting future energy needs because solar energy is a renewable and clean energy resource.
Types of renewables include solar energy power from the sun, wind energy, tidal energy power from the seas and geothermal energy power in. Renewable energy fact sheets keep scotland beautiful. A record number of solar modules were shipped last quarter q2 20. It is reported that earth receives energy from the sun, which is 10,000 times more than the total energy demand of the planet 4.
In such cells, a small electric voltage is generated when light strikes the junction between a metal and a semiconductor such as silicon or the junction between two different semiconductors. It is not like fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, which are called nonrenewable energy. Renewable energy is the energy that is derived from a limitless source, in contrast to fossil fuels, which are derived from a finite source. Solar energy is available in abundance and free of cost all across the globe.