Fascinating Fun Facts About Solar Power

Here is a selection of fascinating solar power fun facts. People have used the sun as a heat source for thousands of years. It is only with the advances in technology that have taken place in recent years that have enabled us to fully harness this power.

Families in ancient Greece constructed their homes to get the most sunlight during the chilly winter months. The ancient Greeks believed that the sun was the god Helios and he drove his chariot around the earth towards the sky in the morning and in the evening back again.

The invention 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.

Back in 1955 The American Solar Energy Society held its first conference in Phoenix and attracted the first Russian scientist to the US following the second World War. There is film footage showing early photovoltaics which was developed for NASA, solar cookers and solar heating panels.

The first solar flight occurred in 1974 in California by an unmanned plane which was put together by two brothers Roland and Bob Boucher.

In 1975 the first solar boat had been constructed in England and in 1996 Kenichi Horie from Japan made the first solar powered crossing on the Pacific Ocean in a catamaran.

The first World Solar Challenge took place in 1987. This is the solar-powered car competition covering 3021 km through the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide.

Did you know it is possible to increase any solar panel output by 75% simply by positioning a mirror that is approximately twice the size of the panel on the ground in front of the solar panel?

PV cells do not require direct sunlight to work - you can still generate some electric power on a cloudy day.

Solar electricity is a green, renewable energy that does not release any damaging carbon dioxide or other pollutants. A typical home PV system can save around 1200kg of CO2 per year which is about 30 tonnes over a lifetime.

It is possible to store the electricity that your solar power system generates in batteries for a cloudy day.

You may sell any extra electricity that you generate using your solar power back to the power company and make a bit of money.

It takes only about eight minutes for solar energy to travel from the sun to earth.

About 30% of the radiation we receive from the sun in the upper atmosphere is reflected back into space. The rest is absorbed by the clouds, oceans and also land masses on Earth. Nevertheless even in these conditions, the power that our planet receives from just one hour of sun exposure is equal to the amount of energy that humans use in an entire year.

Large scale solar projects which are being constructed world wide show that sun powered clean energy technology are both achievable and lucrative. Solar power plants produce Megawatts (MW) with one MW being sufficient power to supply 1000 households. One of the largest solar energy projects that the world has ever seen is the "Desertec" plan to use the uninhabitable North African desert for a power grid of concentrated thermal electrical power stations that could supply Europe with all of its power requirements by the year 2050. So much progress in such a brief period of time let us see where solar electricity will go from here.

Hydroelectric Energy Is Becoming The Most-Invested-In Alternative Energy Supply For The Time Being
When it comes to talking about alternative energy resources, there really are quite a few. Throughout the many years quite a few discoveries have been made and it is only in this present era that people are actually harnessing the power of Nature.

Solar Power Lights - Significantly Trim Down Your Electrical Bills
Reduce your energy bill and install solar power lights in your garden. Installation could not be easier for many types of solar garden lights it is as simple as either staking it into the ground or affixing it to a post.

Solar Solar Cells Along With Solar Heater Designs; Three Essential Types Of Solar Panels.
Solar panels and solar heating systems; 3 basic types of solar panels. There are 3 basic types of Solar Panels: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous solar panels. 1/ What are Monocrystalline solar panels? 2/ What are Polycrystalline solar panels?

Renewable Electricity Just For The 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 Powered String Brightness - The Best Way To Beautify Your Own Home
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.

Economical Solar Energy Panels - Ways To Have Excellent Panels For Less
If you want more information regarding the discount solar systems, you can go online through the net. You could see different sites and different establishment where you can find this discount solar panels.

Improve Your Exterior Area With The Solar Outdoor LED Lighting
You can find solar LED lights which have been made especially for the outside. These lights can exist through extreme weather conditions. There are also solar lights that feature vandal-proof panels. The actual fact that most of these are automatic also adds to their effectiveness.

Solar Deck LED Lamps
A lot of folks are choosing to spend more time outdoors enjoying time on there decks, and at night they're in need of some kind of lighting. This night time light may be rendered by solar deck LED lights.