16 interesting solar energy facts

1. Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies.
2. Solar energy can be converted directly or indirectly into other forms of energy.
3. Solar energy is also referred to as solar power.
4. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy on earth.
5. Solar energy does not produce waste or pollution and is ecologically acceptable.
6. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used.
7. Solar energy drives climate and weather and supports all life on Earth.
8. A partial list of solar applications includes space heating and cooling through solar architecture, potable water via distillation and disinfection, daylighting, solar hot water, solar cooking, and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes.To harvest the solar energy, the most common way is to use solar panels.
9. Solar energy is used in many applications like: Electricity, Evaporation, Biomass, Heating water and buildings and even for transport (solar cars).
10. Solar energy once installed has almost no variable costs.
11. Solar energy is not exposed to market price movements so there's no forward exchange rate risk.
12. Solar energy could generate 2.5 percent of the world's electricity by 2025.
13. Solar energy has tremendous potential because for instance the energy we get from all of the world's reserves of coal, oil and natural gas can be matched by just 20 days' supply of sunshine.
14. Solar energy should be used not only to decrease the use of fossil fuels but also to decrease the price of fossil fuels.
15. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy.
16. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.