2012 Solar Energy Facts - Fun Facts About Solar Energy
When a
modern day person hears the term “solar energy” they often think about
solar panels that are mounted on roofs in sunny neighborhoods. Although
this is a part of solar energy, there is much more to it. The sun has been in
existence since the beginning of time, and sunlight has been captured
and used by humans in one form or another for thousands of years. Due to
the benefits of the sun, we can live a much healthier life. Sunlight
helps sustain our lives by causing plants and trees to grow through the
process of photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide into organic
compounds. Sunlight also provides vitamin D, which aids our health.
There are a lot of solar energy
facts that are not only interesting, but fun to learn, and helpful
to us in our everyday lives. Read on to learn more facts
about solar energy. The following information is fun solar
energy facts for kids and adults alike.
Interesting Facts About The Sun
The Sun is one million times
larger than the Earth
Light travels at a speed of
186,282 miles per second.
It takes light, 8 minutes and
19 seconds to travel 93,000,000 miles from the sun’s surface to Earth.
The interior of the Sun is a
region extremely high in temperature, being filled with dense gases. In
fact the Sun's core is estimated to be approximately twenty-seven
million degrees Fahrenheit. Heat and light from the Sun are produced
through a process called nuclear fusion.
Our Sun is actually a dwarf
star. It is considered to be a mid-sized star compared to the billions
of others throughout the universe.
99.99% of all the solar
energy in the form of solar radiation “goes to waste”.
In a single day, the Sun
provides about 300 BTUs of heat per square foot of the Earth’s surface.
The amount of solar energy
that strikes the Earth in one hour is more than enough to provide all of
the Earth’s energy needs for a complete year.
Approximately 50% of the
sun’s energy is absorbed by the Earth’s surface, while another 30% is
reflected back from the Earth’s surface.
Depending on where you are in
the world, and the angle of the terrain, about 1,000 watts of solar
energy reaches the Earth’s surface per hour per square meter.
The fossil fuel we use to
power our vehicles is actually a form of stored solar energy. The
biomass that has been changed into oil by the Earth’s geologic activity
was originally formed as a result of solar energy.
General Solar Energy Facts
Solar Energy is healthier for
the environment than traditional fossil related forms of energy.
Solar energy has many
positive uses, such as the production of electricity through
photovoltaic cells, and the direct heating of water for a variety of
other applications.
Solar energy can also be used
to heat swimming pools, power cars, for attic fans, calculators and
other small appliances. It produces lighting for indoors and outdoors.
You can even cook food with solar energy.
Solar Energy is becoming more
and more popular. The worldwide demand for Solar Energy is currently
much greater than the amount we have been able to supply.
Photovoltaic Energy And Its Development
The two
primary technologies used today to capture solar energy are photovoltaic
and thermal. Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert light energy into
electricity at the atomic level. There are some materials that exhibit a
property known as the photoelectric effect. This causes them to absorb
photons of light, and in turn, release electrons. When these free
electrons that are released are captured, it results in an electric
current, or electricity. When these solar cells are used in conjunction
with each other, they form solar panel. A solar panel, otherwise known
as a photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel, is a packaged assembly
of many solar or photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can then be used as
a component of a larger photovoltaic system, or solar array. This is
then used to generate and supply electricity for
residential and commercial uses.
In 1839, the
French physicist, Edmund Bequerel was the first to note that certain
materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed
to light. Albert Einstein was the first to describe the nature of light
and the photoelectric effect in 1905. Based on this knowledge,
photovoltaic technology emerged. It was for his research that Einstein
later won a Nobel Prize in physics.
However, it
wasn’t until 1954 that the first photovoltaic module was built by Bell
Laboratories. At that time, this photovoltaic module was presented only
as a solar battery, since it was too expensive to commercially produce.
During the 1960s, the space industry took this new technology and
applied it to provide onboard power to its spacecraft. This technology
advanced as a result of its applications in the space program. Due to
its space applications, the reliability of PV technology increased, and
the cost began to come down. It was during the energy crisis in the
1970s that photovoltaic technology gained recognition and acceptance as
a source of power for non-space applications.
Solar cells
are constructed from the same type of semiconductor material that is
used in the microelectronics industry. The solar cell is a thin
semiconductor wafer that is specially treated to form electrical
polarity. One side of the material has a positive field and on the other
side has a negative field. When light energy strikes the solar cell,
electrons are knocked loose from the atoms in the material. If the cell
is hooked to a circuit consisting of a positive and negative lead, those
free electrons are captured in the form of electrical current. That
electrical current, otherwise known as electricity, can then be used to
power a light or some other electrical device. As a number of these
solar cells are connected to each other they form a solar module, and
are held together within a mounting support frame. Most of these
photovoltaic modules are designed to produce 12 volts of direct current
(DC). The amount of current produced is directly proportional to the
amount of light that strikes the module. A number of modules can be
wired together which form an array. The more modules that form the
array, the more electricity they produce. Depending on the voltage and
current that is desired, they may be combined in a series string or in
parallel.
The most
common PV devices in use today utilize a single junction (interface) to
create an electric field within the semiconductor material. With a
single-junction PV cell, only photons whose energy is equal to or
greater than the band gap of the cell material can free an electron for
current flow.
Facts About Home Solar Energy Systems
There are more than 10,000 homes in the U.S. alone that have solar power
systems installed.
Breaking down the cost per watt of production, solar panel systems that
are tied to the grid typically cost about $3 to $4 per watt.
Stand-alone solar systems (not attached to the grid) need full battery
backup to store extra current, and cost considerably more than the grid
systems.
With a grid solar power system, any extra power produced is fed back
into the grid. Power meters can actually run backwards.
Solar panels actually increase the value of your home since they reduce
your electric bill. This is like having extra money in the bank.
There are federal and state tax incentives for those who qualify on the
installation of a residential or business solar system.
Photovoltaic Solar Panel Facts
Modern day
photovoltaic cells are constructed with a Thin-Film Solar Cell (TFSC)
technology, also called a Thin-Film PhotoVoltaic cell (TFPV). These
solar cells are made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin film)
of photovoltaic material onto a substrate. The thickness of this
material ranges from a few nanometers to tens of micrometers. Thin-film
solar cells are usually categorized according to the photovoltaic
material that is used. The following are some of the materials utilized
in PV construction: Amorphous silicon (a-Si) and other thin-film silicon
(TF-Si), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), Copper indium gallium selenide (CIS
or CIGS), Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC), and other organic solar
cells.
The efficiency of solar
panels is still not that great. The top PV panels only have an
efficiency of about 15%, meaning that only about one seventh of the
solar energy that hits the panel is converted into usable electrical
energy.
For each 3.5 degrees
Fahrenheit rise in temperature, a photovoltaic panel loses one percent
of its efficiency.
A team at MIT has developed a
new technique where they can actually copy solar cells onto paper and
even cloth.
Until the cost of producing a
solar panel is lowered to about $1 per watt of production, solar energy
can’t match the cost of current energy production.
Estimates say that one square
foot of solar panel gives an output of approximately 10 watts of power.
Depending on your location in
relation to the equator, you may need more solar panels to accumulate
the same amount of power. Location determines the length of daylight,
and thus the amount of solar production that is available.
Depending on one’s location,
a solar panel that is equal to one square meter in size will produce up
to 1.4 Kilowatts per day of power. This amount decreases as one moves
away from the equator.
Residential solar
installation rates are expected to grow by 20-40% per year over the next
10 years.
It’s important to note that
solar panels are the only home improvement that pays for itself.
Facts about Solar Energy usage:
Solar Energy is measured by
the kilowatt-hour. One kilowatt = 1000 watts.
One kilowatt-hour (kWh) of
energy will burn a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours.
About 30% of our total energy
consumption is used to heat water.
Sun related Facts about Solar
Energy:
A world record was set in
1990 when a solar powered aircraft flew 4060km across the USA, using
only the sun’s energy for its fuel.
Solar energy is responsible
for weather patterns and ocean currents.
Clouds, pollution and wind
can prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth.
Other Interesting Facts about Solar Energy:
In 1447, Da Vinci predicted
there would be a solar industrialization.
The earth receives more solar
energy in one hour than its entire population uses in an entire year.
Electric ovens consume the
most amount of electricity, followed by microwaves and central air
conditioners.
The fastest growing market
for solar energy is in Third World Countries that have an abundance of
sunlight and a population without electricity.
Solar Energy Vehicle Racing
Racing of
solar powered vehicles has been conducted since 1985. Australia holds
the World Solar Challenge each year. The race is 1877 miles long,
traveling clear across the continent. These solar electric cars max out
at 90 mph or more. There is a second solar vehicle race that happens
annually is the North American Solar Challenge. Each year, the course of
this race is different as is the distance.
Solar Thermal Energy
Solar
Thermal Energy has been used for thousands of years. It is much easier
to harness than PV energy. We all know the sun gives off heat, so solar
thermal energy is simply harnessing that heat via collectors and using
it to power solar-powered electricity plants, roof-mounted hot water
heaters or solar pool heaters. Believe it or not, but some of the
largest electrical plants in the world today create electricity through
the use of solar thermal energy rather than photovoltaic solar energy.
Schott, a
German based solar manufacturer estimates that solar thermal electric
energy costs approximately 15 cents per kilowatt hour. This is about
150% of the cost of conventional solar electric energy. Most solar
thermal power plants utilize parabolic mirror arrays to concentrate
solar energy. This creates extremely high temperatures. The more
concentrated the heat is, the more efficient a solar thermal electrical
plant is.
Facts About Current US Energy Usage
Only 8% of
all of the U.S. energy comes from alternative energy sources. Solar
energy accounts for only about 1% of that energy. Geothermal makes up
about 5%, while wind accounts for 9%. Of the remaining sources,
hydropower supplies 35%, while biofuels is about 20% and wood at 24%.
China is actually the world leader in renewable energy with the United
States coming in second.
Large Solar Energy Expansions
GE is
planning on building a 400 Mega-Watt solar panel factory in Aurora,
Colorado in 2012, which will be the largest solar plant in the United
States. They will produce enough solar panels per year to power 80,000
homes.
As of
November, 2012, California regulators have licensed what is for the
moment the world’s largest solar thermal power plant, a 1,000-megawatt
complex called the Blythe Solar Power Project to be built in the Mojave
Desert.