Amazing Solar Power Fun Facts
Here is a collection of remarkable solar power fun facts. People have used the sun as a heat source for hundreds of years. It is only with the advancements in technology that have taken place in recent years that have enabled us to fully harness this power.
Families in ancient Greece built their homes to get the most sunlight during the cold winter months. The ancient Greeks thought that the sun was the god Helios and he drove his chariot around the earth up towards the sky in the morning and in the evening back again.
The discovery of the photovoltaic effect is credited to the French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel in 1839.
In 1921 the Nobel Peace Prize was given to Albert Einstein for experiments with solar power and photovoltaics.
Way back in 1955 The American Solar Energy Society held its first meeting in Phoenix and attracted the first Russian scientist to the US after the second World War. There is film footage exhibiting early photovoltaics which was specially designed for NASA, solar cookers and solar heating panels.
The first solar flight took place in 1974 in California by an unmanned plane which was developed by two brothers Roland and Bob Boucher.
In 1975 the first solar boat was constructed in England and in 1996 Kenichi Horie from Japan made the first solar powered crossing of the Pacific Ocean using a catamaran.
The first World Solar Challenge was held in 1987. This is a solar-powered car competition covering 3021 km through the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide.
Did you know that it is possible to boost any solar power panel output by 75% by simply placing a mirror that is approximately twice the size of the panel on the ground in front of the panel?
PV cells do not need direct sunshine to work - you can still produce some electricity on a cloudy day.
Solar electricity is a green, renewable energy and does not release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollution. A typical home Photovoltaic system could save around 1200kg of CO2 per year which is around 30 tonnes over a lifetime.
You can store the electrical energy that your solar power system produces in batteries for a cloudy day.
You can sell any extra electricity that you produce using your solar power back to the grid making a bit of money.
It takes no more than 8 minutes for solar energy to travel from the sun to the earth.
About 30% of the radiation that we receive from the sun at the upper atmosphere is actually reflected back to space. The remainder is absorbed by the clouds, oceans and land masses on Earth. Nevertheless even in these conditions, the energy that our planet gets from merely one hour of sun exposure is the same as the amount of power that humans use in an entire year.
Large scale solar projects that are being developed world wide show that sun powered clean energy technologies are both achievable and also profitable. Solar power plants produce Megawatts (MW) with one MW being sufficient power to supply 1000 homes. One of the largest solar power projects which the world has ever seen is the "Desertec" plan to utilize the uninhabitable North African desert for a power grid of concentrated thermal power stations which could supply Europe with all of its power needs by the year 2050. So much progress in such a short period of time let us all see where solar electricity will go from here.
Solar Power Costs - What Everybody Really Should Realize There are 2 main factors that govern solar power cost and these are quite simply, the production cost of the solar panels and the installation cost of the solar system in your home.
Foldable Solar Panel - Discover Some Of The Advantages When Using This Electric Generator And The Proper Way To Utilize It Learn where to buy a good foldable solar panel for sale at an inexpensive price and start lowering your electricity now.
Additional Electricity Just For A Home The trend toward homes that are powered by alternative energy sources, ranging from wind turbines and solar collection cells to hydrogen fuel cells and biomass gases, is one that needs to continue into the 21 st century and beyond.
Solar String Brightness - A Great Way To Enhance Your House Solar LED lights are increasingly becoming popular day by day due to its wide applications. Solar LED lights are best option for you to light up your house; they not only help in saving power but also help you to maintain a cleaner environment.
Evaluate Solar Power Cost In Order To Profit Totally From Your Solar Energy System There are a number of ways that solar energy can help you to save power and money. Solar power cost however is a turnoff for many people.
Use Small Solar Panels For Small Scale Renewable Energy Projects In Your Home There has never been a better time to build a small solar panel, make a move to low carbon living and begin to save money on your electricity bills.
Techniques On Ordering The Perfect Solar Light Bulbs Everyone is in competition to have more and more profits. And the only possible thing to happen is either the income would increase or the expenses would go down.
Ways To Get Some Great Benefits Of Choosing Solar Tube Skylights Solar tube skylights not only use sunlight to bring comfort, but they also cut electricity costs and improve the mood of the people living under that roof.
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