Solar Energy Facts That Everyone Should Know About

When it comes to solar energy facts, a lot of people wrinkle their noses because they find the topic very dull to even talk about. But, this attitude should be erased because the human race has to know about this sustainable resource that many forecasters are seeing is the only power we should be using if we want to stay in this planet for many years. With coal mining being halted in many nations because of environmental reasons, it is about time that you learn about the solar energy facts and what it can do to your life and future generations.

Definition Of Solar Energy

In layman’s terms, solar energy is just the energy that is collected from the sun. Almost 99% of the world gets some sunlight exposure on a daily basis. If you have a form of instrument or device that collects the sun’s rays like solar panels, it will be able to convert this into renewable energy. The powers of the sunlight seems so little when you look at it with your own eyes but the surface temperature along of the sun is around 5,778K so that should not be belittled. In fact, any single item will not be able to withstand the heat that is emitted from the sun. These solar energy facts are very important in learning more about its discovery and uses.

The Discovery Of Solar Energy

Very few people know that a nineteen year old young man was responsible for discovering solar energy. He was experimenting with his father’s equipment in his laboratory when he decided to toy with electrolytic cells. This led to the discovery of solar energy being plausible with photovoltaic cells. This was not further studied anymore and it was not until the height of the Industrial Revolution that some people started to wonder where everything was going and decided to find other ways to get renewable energy. Auguste Mouchout then made the first motor to run entirely on solar power. He received a grant from the French monarch and patented this design. From this point on, he also made a device that would connect the power received from the device to a steam engine. He surprised the world when he furthered his findings and attached this to a cooling device that even made ice at that time. But, alas, the French government found that coal was a cheaper option after striking a deal with England. The solar energy facts were really ignored at the time. It was not until 1956 when solar panels became more commercialized and it was offered to the market then at a whopping price of $300 for each watt of power generated.

The Development Of Solar Energy

In the early days of solar power, many people did not understand the logistics and dynamics of having a solar-powered system. No one really cared about the wonderful effects of having it because people did not care much for the health of our planet Earth. But, now, with carbon emissions being rallied by activists to stop production, finding a sustainable and renewable source of energy should be everyone’s priority.

Common Applications Of Solar Energy

Today, solar energy is used in many applications either in the household or in corporate settings. Many homeowners are now more aware of the big savings that having solar panels in the household entails. Because of this, hundreds of companies want to take advantage of the rush and all are making their small appliances ready for solar charging. Some corporate offices also use solar energy to light their buildings and small machines. Using solar power can greatly lower an establishment’s overhead cost and the savings can then be used for other uses to greatly higher their profits. By using solar powered lights, they will also lessen their carbon footprint. These solar energy facts hopefully get noticed by more households and offices.

The Negative Side Of Solar Power

Even if this source of power has been around for over a hundred years, there are still a lot of people who do not wish to learn about it because they feel that the devices used will not be able to power the appliances and machines that conventional electricity powers. Indeed, even if these solar panels are extensively used in a manufacturing plant or factory, it will not be able to generate enough energy for the big machines being used. If there will be a time when that will happen, the costs may not be inviting. Another negative side to using solar energy in the household is that all your appliances cannot be used at the same time. The solar panels will undoubtedly not be able to power electricity-gobbling appliances such as an electric dryer or an electric oven. These appliances require a steady source of power that solar panels do not have the power to maintain at the moment. Hopefully, in a few years’ time, that will eventually happen.

The Biggest Solar Power Plant In The World

The country of United Arab Emirates now leads in the field of solar energy when they recently opened the world’s largest solar power station that is able to power 100 MW at any given time. This station is called Shams and the country UAE hopes to end their need for oil to run power and just concentrate that area for exports while the country itself will run on sustainable solar energy. Shams is composed of three stations and the Shams 1 is supposed to be running this first quarter of 2013 and the other two to follow.  A lot of critiques are saying that this plant will not last more than 50 years because some of the components needed in converting the energy gathered from the sun to usable energy still need oil or coal to run the engines and turbines. Many solar energy facts that this company has gathered throughout its research before putting this station was put to good use. Hopefully other countries will follow suit because our earth is already on limited supply when it comes to coal.

The Future Of Solar Energy

The rising costs of power and even fuels has caused a lot of concern over regular folks who sometimes cannot afford the luxury of having appliances running 24 hours or fill up their gas tanks. The good news about solar energy is that many scientists have been given grants and funding research to further the development of solar power research. In fact, materials scientists in the Stanford Institute for Materials And Energy Sciences have discovered a cheaper alternative to some pertinent components in collecting the heat from the sun to usable electricity. This means that given a few years, even the regular Joe or Jane will be able to afford a whole solar panel system to power their entire household. Finally, the world will pay attention to all the solar energy facts being thrown at them and put it to good use.

How Can The Regular Person Put Solar Energy To Good Use

Corporations and commercial establishments should not be the only ones who will be able to benefit from a solar powered system. In a few years’ time, hopefully more families will be able to afford the costs on setting up their households to run exclusively on solar energy and not have to rely on a secondary means of powering up their appliances. For now, if you want to start getting in the bandwagon, there are already several small appliances and gadgets that you can buy from the market that rely solely from the powers of the sun. Research on these products and see if they are available in your local market. If not, there are online retail stores that specialize in these appliances. See if you can buy one or two items that run on solar power. Figure out ways to save more energy in your homes so that you will lessen your carbon footprint. There are many brochures that you can download too with many solar energy facts that you can share with your friends and family.

A Few Important Thoughts On Solar Power

Men and women should not be afraid to try out devices that are in the market that run on solar power. Remember that these appliances have already been tested several times and will work fine and even last you for a lifetime. Do not close your mind about the true value of these gadgets. Only, the sun, wind, water, and geothermal energies are true renewable sources of energy so we should really take care of Mother Earth if we want to live longer in this planet. Our children’s generation and the future generations thereafter should not have to worry about carbon emissions and smoke pollution to be able to live a normal life. Working together to find ways to improve the current situations in terms of finding sustainable means of energy should be our top priority. If you want to be an active part of a community geared at making the world a better place using solar power alone to fuel all the appliances, it should start with you. Set an example to your children and to those around you; tell the world that solar energy is here to stay.