30 Facts About Solar Energy

The facts about solar energy are truly about the most common facts of life.

Just try to conceive about Earth without the sun. Impossible!

There are many interesting facts that describe its nature and uses. Knowing more about solar power will help you in making your choices about how to use it.

Solar energy facts?

Here are just some of them.

Facts about solar energy—sources and uses

Solar energy is a term for describing a range of methods for obtaining energy from the sun. Many people immediately think about solar panels when hearing solar energy but wind, biomass and hydropower are all forms of solar energy. Wind develops through highs and lows in temperature. Wind drives waves. Rainfall, created by sun-warmed evaporated water feeds the rivers that are sources for hydropower. You cannot get away from it. Basking in the sun? Drying your clothes on the clothes line? Sailing your boat on choppy waters. You’re dealing with solar energy. Solar energy is successfully being used for cooking, cooling, heating, communications, driving space craft, lighting and many more purposes. Even fossil fuels are forms of stored solar energy. Coal, oil and gas formed hundreds of millions of years ago from decomposed plant matter. Plant matter that grew by aid of the sun! Facts about solar energy—it’s not a new fad The human use of solar energy is not new. The history of solar energy is rich. Building methods have for many centuries taken account of the sun’s movements in optimising its warmth and light. Many ancient civilizations worshipped the sun as the cause of everything. Ancient and modern North- and South-American Indian tribes worshipped the sun. The ancient Egyptians worshipped their sun god Ra. In the late 15th century Leonardo Da Vinci already conceived of an industrial use of solar power by employing concave mirrors to heat water. Facts about solar energy—our civilisation depends on it Solar energy has become of increasing importance to industrially developed countries as the use of fossil fuels has become problematic, with its effects of global warming and pollution. Fossil fuel reserves are limited where renewable energy sources, by definition, are not. Such facts of solar energy mean that solar energy is now also attractive to developing countries with remote isolated areas. This is because the possibilities of stand-alone solar appliances negate the need for expensive grid infrastructure. As renewable energy technology develops and fossil fuel prices increase solar energy becomes more affordable. And there are no crippling, rising importation costs of coal, oil or gas. Facts about solar energy—the sunny figures The sun is 109 times bigger than the Earth. The sun’s radius being 696,000km and the Earth’s radius 6, 376km. The sun’s average surface temperature is 5700 C. The Earth’s average temperature is 20 C. And we are worrying about global warming of some 3C! The sun is about 150 million km from the Earth and is aged about 4.5 billion years. Solar radiation reaches a unit of space near the Earth’s orbit at a rate of 1,366 W/m² (Watt per square metre), as measured upon a surface normal (at a right angle) to the Sun. This number is the "solar constant". Of this energy, about 19% is absorbed by the atmosphere, and clouds reflect a further 35% of the total solar energy. Therefore solar energy received a sea level is much less. Its peak power is generally accepted to be 1,020 W/m². The average received solar power on land is lower still. In North America for example the average power of the solar radiation is roughly between 125 and 375 W/m², that is between 3 and 9 kWh per m² per day. Solar cells have about a 15% efficiency rate in converting that energy. Therefore solar panels deliver only 19 to 56 W/m² or 0.45-1.35 kWh/m²/day of that average power. But that does not make solar energy inefficient! The average solar energy falling on Australia is equivalent to about 15.000 (fifteen thousand!) times the nation’s present total energy use. At 15% conversion rate that is still more than 2000 times the present need, providing we could capture it all. Facts about solar energy—the Earthy figures In recent years manufacturing costs of photovoltaic cells has dropped by 3-5% per year while government subsidies have increased. While to some such facts about solar energy seem trivial, this makes solar energy an ever-more affordable energy source. The worldwide production of solar cells increased by 60% in 2004. However, the material these cells are made from, silicon, has been in short supply since then and has hampered production. The energy output of a 1 KW solar energy unit is roughly equivalent to the burning of 170 pounds of coal and 300 pounds of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. At the end of 2005 total global peak power of installed solar panels was about 5,300 MW. Facts about solar energy—locations The world's largest solar electric system was claimed by Germany. The 10 megawatt Bavaria Solarpark covers 25 hectares (62 acres) with 57,600 photovoltaic panels. But since the 1st of September of 2006 it's in... Germany! The new Arnstein solar electric plant, also in Bavaria, pips the Bavaria Solarpark by 2 MW, and is now claimed to be the largest. It provides 12MW of energy to about 3,500 households from some 1,400 movable solar panels. The Bavarians can clearly do more than yodel and drink beer. However it is in the Mojave Desert in North America that houses the world's largest solar power plant. It covers 1000 acres (4 km²) of solar reflectors. An astonishing ninety percent of the world's currently commercially produced solar power is produced by it. Africa’s Sahara desert, assuming 15% efficient solar cells, could generate more than 450 tarawatt (TW) per year. Current annual global energy consumption, including fossil and renewable sources is about 13 TW. About half of worldwide production of solar panels is consumed by Japan. Their purpose is mostly for grid connected residential applications. Israel is building a 100Mw solar power plant. It will supply more than 200,000 Israelis with electricity. There are further plans for an even more huge 500 Mw solar power plant, making Israel a solar energy leader. Proving that solar power is not just for warm climates, the British clad Manchester’s tallest building, the CIS Tower in solar panels. In 2005 it began feeding energy into their national energy grid. Facts about solar energy—effects on people Solar energy is the Holy Grail of the transport industry. The 3021 km Australian Darwin to Adelaide annual car race for solar-powered vehicles seeks to promote its research. It attracts international competition and is making some headway. In the first race, in 1987 the competitors average speed was 67 km/hr. By 2005 it was 103 km/hr! Speed may not be among the most important facts of solar energy but the solar transport industry’s gains are. Car exhausts of course, are a leading cause of global warming. The human ecological footprint is big. In some countries bigger than in others. There are around 2 billion world citizens without any electricity at all. To them the facts about solar energy are that they cannot flick a switch to bring it on and are often steeped in poverty. By contrast America accounts for over a quarter of world energy consumption with only 5% of the global population. Facts about solar energy—the future Perhaps the future is here now. Shell has predicted that 50% of the world's energy will come from renewable sources by 2040. Shell will also join in a massive renewable energy development project supported by the UAE. Several industrial heavyweights will join them: British Petroleum, Total, and Occidental Petroleum Corp, General Electric, Rolls Royce, Fiat and Mitsubishi. The facts about solar energy are not just about technology however. The facts of life include that the adoption of solar energy alone is not going to bring about a sustainable world. Without a greater warmth of positive human interaction it will still be a cold, and unsustainable, world. Yes, do plug into solar power and build that solar dwelling. But also do what you can today to change attitudes towards one another and towards the environment and you have will have created the future already. Are these enough facts about solar energy for you? Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. You could fill a book with them.

100 Sites for Green Living

100 sites for everything from decreasing your carbon footprint
to finding green jobs, environmentally-friendly shopping, and more.

Green everything is hot right now, and there’s no sign that
it’s going to slowdown any time in the near future. What are
your favorite sites for green living? Tell us more in the comments.

Carbon Footprint Calculators, Other Tools and Carbon Offsets

The Carbon Account - Reduce your carbon footprint and share tips with others.

RoofRay - An online tool that uses satellite photos to help you design and compare photovoltaic arrays.

GreenIQ - Measures your carbon emissions and overall environmental footprint. Also includes a blog and other helpful information.

Carbonrally - Lets you compete in challenges to reduce your environmental impact with others in your area or worldwide.

COzero - A site that calculates your carbon emissions and then shows you ways to reduce and offset them.

CO2Stats - Automatically purchases renewable energy for your website based on your site’s environmental footprint.

3Degrees - Find out your carbon footprint and then support climate change fighting projects.

Carma - Online carbon monitoring of power plants and power companies.

Charitable Giving

ImprovingYourWorld - Vote for your preferred charity or cause on this site, and they’ll get a portion of donations based on the number of votes they receive.

MicroGiving - Choose a cause to donate to and then see the results that your donation brings.

TimeBank - Volunteer your time based on who you are and your schedule to worthy causes.

Pledgie - Raise money for a cause or start your own cause.

Giveo - Donate to a cause or start your own.

nabuur.com - Online volunteering platform that links volunteers with local communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America to find solutions to local problems.

JustGive.org - Tools to make charitable giving part of every day life by connecting donors with causes they care most about.

Firstgiving - Online fund raising pages you can share that let you raise money for any US nonprofit.

BringLight - Connects donors with charities who describe specific funding needs, so you know exactly where your money is going.

CareBadges - Create website badges for causes you believe in.

Six Degrees - Create online badges and become a celebrity for your cause.

GivingPal - Shop through this site and a portion of your spending is donated to a charity of your choosing.

ChangingThePresent - You can sponsor a pig, help a deaf child, provide clean water, or any number of other tangible charitable gifts through this site.

CharityNavigator - Independent charity evaluations of over 5,300 American charities.

MissionFish - Fund raising tools for raising money on ebay.

CrowdFunder - Tools for raising money for whatever your cause is.

Noza - Helps charities find donors.

MicroPlace - Find people all over the world who are looking for someone to invest in them to help them work their way out of poverty.

Stuff Your Rucksack - Volunteer to transport items when you travel to people who need them (such as bringing a school some books or bringing clothes to an orphanage).

ripple - Fight poverty by searching through this site, or donate directly.

Rainfall of Envelopes - Makes it easy to receive or give money gifts for any event, including charitable fundraisers.

DonorsChoose.org - Provide students in need with materials and resources that public schools are often lacking.

good2gether - A platform that helps distribute relevant charitable information across media sites all over the Internet.

The Point - Get people to pledge to give money or take action, wait for enough people to pledge (reach the “tipping point”) and then have members follow through on their pledge, sure that they will actually make a difference.

Communities, Networking and Dating

Edenbee - An online community dedicated to reducing your carbon footprint.

EthicalSingles - An online dating site for environmentally and socially responsible singles.

Eco Treadsetters - An online green community sponsored by the Yokohama tire company.

EcoSpace - An online community of people who want to create positive change.

2People - A community aimed at building the public mandate for solutions to global warming.

Hugg - User-submitted green news from all over the Web.

Gaia Community - A social network of individuals committed to changing the world.

Veggie Community - Social networking for vegans, vegetarians, and raw foodists.

Green-Passions - Online dating and social networking for green singles.

Care2 - Green social networking site that includes news, groups, ecards, and more.

Creative Citizen - An online community dedicated to finding creative solutions for green living.

Greenopolis - Collaborative and interactive education website that brings together communities, organizations, foundations, corporations and universities to reward people for making positive environmental changes in their lives.

Segway Social - A social network for Segway users.

Out For A Ride - Social networking for bicycle riders.

AlternativeEnergy.com - Social networking, news and more for the alternative energy industry.

traxtuff - Network for loaning and borrowing things, as well as tracking the things you’ve borrowed or loaned out.

Razoo - Social network for promoting social responsibility.

EMwomen - Social networking dedicated to empowering women to make a difference in their world.

OffsetX - Social action network that allows you to “offset” (vote against) anything you want, whether it’s a politician, business, disease, or whatever.

Ladder to Heaven - Promotes the sharing of good deeds performed by users or others.

Changemakers - A platform for open source social innovation that produces global action frameworks that draw on the work of social entrepreneurs and seed collaborative action.

Just Cause - Read stories about people making positive change, learn about creative solutions to problems in the world and share your own ideas.

Green Business, Money and Careers

do the right thing.com - Online business ratings based on environmental and social impact.

EnvironmentalCareer.com - An online job search engine for environmental jobs.

SustainableBusiness.com - News and networking for green businesses to help them grow.

justmeans - Sustainable and socially responsible business and stock information.

Local Information

Earth 911 - A site that provides local recycling and product stewardship information.

Greenopia - A local green living guide.

Green Map - Maps of green living, cultural, natural and civic resources for communities around the world.

Ecovian - A local green living directory.

Projects & Action-Based Sites

1Sky - An online political action site that is focused on getting the federal government to act on climate change by 2010.

Catalog Choice - Opt-out of catalog mailing lists to reduce your junk mail.

ProQuo - Opt-out of junk mail lists (you can also opt-in to offers you actually want to receive).

GreenDimes - Another service that guarantees to stop up to 90% of your junk mail.

41Pounds.org - Stop 80-95% of unwanted catalogs and junk mail. The name comes from the approximately 41 pounds of junk mail the average American adult receives each year.

stopthejunkmail.com - Fully automated service for opting out of junk mail lists.

RoadSharing - A carpooling coordination site.

PickupPal - Connecting drivers and passengers to save money and reduce environmental impact by carpooling.

Recycling

RecycleBank - An online rewards points program to encourage recycling.

Scoodi - Trading, buying and selling locally to keep things out of landfills.

Throwplace.com - Find a good home for your unwanted stuff instead of throwing it away.

Search Engines, Directories & Guides

Forestle - A search engine that saves .1 square yard of rainforest for every search you do.

Greenseng - A search engine that helps offset your carbon emissions through CO2Stats.

Green Planet Search - A green search engine that also includes recent news, events, and more.

Twitoosearch.com - An environmentally conscious search engine with a black search background.

Eco-find - A green search engine that displays eco-friendly living tips on the homepage.

GreenRenter - A directory of green residential and commercial buildings and rental vacancies.

EcoTrotters.com - An online guide for ecologically friendly travel.

Ecocho - A green search engine that plants two trees (offsetting a ton of greenhouse gases) for every 1,000 searches performed.

Greensie - Another green search engine.

Green Link Central - A human edited green search engine.

Greenona - Another green search engine that shows the top 500 searches, top 100 clicked results, and more.

Low Impact Living - Provides information to reduce your environmental impact, including information on green products and practices.

Fivelimes - Green living directory, including green products, green news and discussion boards.

CDM Bazaar - A platform for exchanging information on Clean Development Mechanism projects from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

blue egg - Eco information directory.

Shopping & Products

Guide Me Green - An online directory of green companies and brands that includes forums and a newsletter.

EVO - A site that includes green product ratings, services and information.

TheFindGreen.com - A green products search engine.

Greenzer - Green shopping directory.

Eco Monkey - Eco-friendly shopping directory.

Rate It Green - A green products directory that features community ratings.

Greener One - Green ratings for mainstream products.

VegBay.com - Online green auctions.

GreenDeals Daily - Online shopping deals on green products.

GoodGuide - Find environmentally friendly products that are safe and healthy.

Video & User-Generated Content

Protect The Human - Site for sharing videos, pictures and links to promote human rights.

ViroPOP - A video network just for green videos.

Other Resources

love earth - The BBC’s site for environmental topics, including their environmental programming.

Pixily - Save paper and trees by organizing your documents online.

folia - Garden organization app that lets you track sprouting, blooming, and harvests in your garden.

Green Thing - Sends a monthly email that includes a green thing to do for the month.

askCHARITY - An online charity contact directory for media professionals.