Solar energy is the ideal alternative energy source. The sun delivers more than enough energy to power our planet.
Here are five things you might not know about solar energy.
1. The largest solar energy project is... In California, of course, right? The Mojave Desert hosts the largest solar energy project in the world and will provide clean, renewable energy for 140,000 homes.
2. NASA and space technology played a crucial role for solar energy. The space industry was the early champion of solar technology. The best way to provide energy in space is to use photovoltaic (PV) cells. It all started in the 1960s as the fledgling space industry started using solar technology for spacecrafts and the future International Space Station.
3. Who build the first silicon solar module? The distinction of who made the first silicon solar cell goes to the Bell Laboratories in 1954. It was the grandfather of all solar wafers and has since evolved in leaps and bounds to give you today's high-efficiency solar panels.
4. How really powerful is the sun? The sun's rays are so powerful they give off 173,000 terawatts (TW) of continuous energy. To give you a rough idea, that is more than 10,000 times the world's total energy use to date. At any given hour, more energy from the sun reaches the Earth than is used by the whole human population in any given year.
5. The purchase price of solar energy keeps on coming down! Last, but not least, the price of solar energy continues to fall, making it closer to the dirty polluting electricity we currently use. It is on a fast pace to become an economically feasible energy choice for homeowners and businesses. We hope you enjoyed these fun facts, while we go and install more solar panels.