21 Fun Facts About Solar Energy

Check out these fun facts about solar energy below!

1. Solar Energy Is A Free Energy Source

Not only is solar energy abundant and accessible, it is also free. In fact, it takes less than 10 minutes for light to travel 90 million miles from sun to Earth, with this process occurring nonstop each and every day.

2. Solar Energy Can Power Your Entire Home

Solar energy is undoubtedly the safest and greenest solution to your home’s key power systems. Lighting, electrical appliances, ventilation fans, hot water heaters and air conditioners are a few examples.

3. It Is the Earth’s Most Abundant Energy Source

More solar energy reaches the Earth in one hour than all of humanity needs for a full year. Solar panels can harness this clean energy source courtesy of solar photovoltaic cells.

4. Solar Energy Is Becoming More Affordable

Solar energy will become more and more affordable in the future thanks to scientific and technological advancements. Cost patterns continue to decline, as efficiency rises across the industry.

5. Going Solar Can Increase Your Home Value

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, installing solar panels can increase your home’s value by $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills. This means that a solar energy system that saves $400 per year on utility bills will ultimately boost your home’s value by $8,000.

There are mixed views by many home experts, though. They believe the value of solar panels truly lies in the eyes of the potential buyer. Some may see it as a plus, others may see it as a negative. Solar panels are just like swimming pools or fences in that regard. It really depends on what the buyer is looking for in a new home purchase.

Once you’ve found the right buyer, there is no doubt these systems will increase your home’s overall value. Enjoy the countless savings on utility bills in the meantime.

6. Locks In Utility Costs For The Next 25 Years

With solar panel installation, you have the ability to lock in your utility costs for the next quarter of a century. Utility rates are constantly going up and seemingly never coming back down. Take away the certainty of rising costs by investing in solar power today.

7. Better Long-Term Health For Humans

Cleaner air will result in cleaner lungs for mankind. In fact, the US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy estimates that cleaner air could have a positive impact on humans with the possibility of saving up to 25,000 lives.

8. Future Of Alternative Energy

Solar energy helps fight climate change and the greenhouse gas effect. The majority of people now recognize solar power as the future of alternative, renewable energy.

9. Thermal Storage Systems Can Store Solar Energy

It is possible to store solar energy in the form of heat in thermal storage systems by utilizing material featuring high specific heat. These materials can include water, soil, stone and salt.

10. Solar Energy Can Help Make Saline Water

Producing salt from seawater is one of the oldest solar energy uses. This energy can make potable, brackish or saline water to treat wastewater, without using any electricity or chemicals.

11. Solar Energy Was First Discovered In 1839

Alexandre Edmond Becquerel first discovered “the photovoltaic effect” in the year 1839, which was just one year the first coal-fired power plant was built. So, what is the photovoltaic effect? This is when an electrical current happens in a conductor after the sun’s rays make contact with it.

12. It Comprises Radiant Heat And Light

Solar energy is essentially any type of energy generated by the sun. The energy originates from the sun through nuclear fusion, which is when protons in hydrogen atoms collide in the sun’s core, fuse, then create a helium atom.

13. Solar Power Produces No Pollution

Solar power is undoubtedly one of the cheapest and most sustainable energy sources in the world today. Outside of the manufacturing process, this energy source creates no pollution at all.

15. Combats Climate Change

As the amount of carbon trapped in the atmosphere continues to rise, so too will the amount of heat our planet retains. This trend will continue to affect climates in all different kinds of areas, causing warmer or cooler weather, with the potential of creating sudden and destructive storm patterns.

Scientists and climatologists agree that we need a renewable energy source to curb the negative effects to our climate. Solar energy is one of the ways that can reduce CO2 emissions and release less pollutants into the environment.

16. Reduced Air Pollution

Fossil fuels are known to create lots of pollutants, including dirty air and smog. These are undoubtedly bad for the environment and your health. Electricity generated by solar power will drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions (specifically CO2), which is generated when fossil fuels are burned.

This has led to rising temperatures across the globe and climate change, which further leads to environmental and health problems. Going solar will ultimately reduce demand for fossil fuels, limiting the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere.

17. There Are Solar Cities

Solar Cities is an initiative seeking to boost solar energy projects around the world. This project has already been signed by government officials in Georgia, Ukraine and Croatia.

18. Less Dependence On Nonrenewable Energy

Going solar is a great first step toward maintaining an energy-independent home. Solar energy helps to reduce the overall dependence on nonrenewable sources like fossil fuels. Nonrenewable energy sources create many of the pollutants that have a negative impact on our air quality.

Nonrenewable resources are given this name simply because they will run out eventually. The faster the human race makes the full transition to renewable energy, the better for the environment and future generations.

19.Reduced Water Usage

If an energy source does not burn fossil fuels for power, then it most likely uses water as a resource. Both hydropower and nuclear energy use lots of water to produce electricity. Solar panels generate their energy directly from the sun without the use of water and without having a negative impact on the ecosystem as a whole.

20. Solar Panels Last Up To 30 Years

Once installed, solar panels can operate at maximum efficiency for 25 to 30 years. Performance will degrade after this timeframe, but the panels will never stop working.

21. Solar Energy Is One Of The Most Used Renewable Energy Sources

Wind currently ranks number one on the list of most used renewable energy sources. Electricity from hydropower is number two, while solar energy currently ranks third.

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