12 Fascinating Facts on Solar Energy

12 FASCINATING FACTS ON SOLAR ENERGY Solar energy has been in use for over 2700 years... 700 BC 1958 2014 In 700 BC, glass lenses were used to make fire by magnifying the Sun's rays. Space missions have been using solar energy to power spaceships since 1958. The sun is over 90 MILLION MILES from the Earth. It takes LESS THAN 10 MINUTES for light to speed across that distance. 500,000 TONS 1 TON Enough sunlight falls on the Earth's surface every hour to meet world energy demand for an entire year. Silicon from just one ton of sand, used in photovoltaic cells, could produce as much electricity as burning 500,000 tons of coal. A typical silicon cell solar module will have a life in excess of The largest solar power plant in the world is located in Arizona, between Yuma and Phoenix on 2,400 ACRES. 20 YEARS. The price of solar PV panels has dropped about Commissioned by NRG Energy Inc, the project generates enough electricity to G na 100 TIMES OVER from 1977 to 2012. power about 230,000 HOMES. En - 30,000 HOMES The sunshine hitting Texas in one month contains more energy than all the oil and gas ever pumped out of the state. 30 DAYS One month's worth of energy from the Sun All the oil and gas ALL TIME ever pumped out of Texas 2011 2014 Solar modules produce electricity even on cloudy days, usually around Approximately 10-20% 66% of installed world of the amount produced on sunny days. solar PV power capacity has been completed in the past 2% years. The solar energy available at the Earth's surface is 1020 20% of this can be captured by Watts per square meter. photovoltaic panels. Sources: nrg. Home http://renewableresourcesinc.com/10-interesting-facts-about-solar-energy/#.U7GOIPIDXH6 http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/25/15-solar-facts-know/ http://www.solar-facts.com/ http://www.abb-conversations.com/2013/12/7-impressive-solar-energy-facts-charts/ http://www.alliantenergykids.com/EnergyandTheEnvironment/RenewableEnergy/022403 SOLAR http://www.forbes.com/sites/uciliawang/2014/04/29/behold-the-worlds-largest-solar-panel-power-plant-in-arizona/