25 interesting facts about Sun energy

  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. Not all of the Sun's energy comes to Earth. The Sun's energy is emitted in all directions, with only a small fraction being in the direction of the Earth.
  3. 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.
  4. The Sun's energy comes from thermonuclear reactions (converting hydrogen to helium) in the core, where temperatures range from 15 to 25 million degrees.
  5. Solar powered electrical generation relies on heat engines and photovoltaics. Solar energy's uses are limited only by human ingenuity.
  6. 34% of the Sun's energy is reflected back into space by snow and clouds. This reflective quality of a planet is called its albedo.
  7. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy.
  8. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy.
  9. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties.
  10. Sun energy is clean, inexhaustible and can be transformed into other forms of energy: thermal, electric, chemical, mechanical, etc. The solar energy that energizes the plants goes on to become the fuel that allows animals to live and grow.
  11. The average energy of the Sun of the whole earth's surface is 2 calories (cal)/ square centimeter (cm2) / minute (min). It is also called the solar constant.
  12. Only the half -billionth part of the Sun energy reaches the Earth. Only about 5 percent of all available sun energy is conserved as chemical energy in the biomass of plants. A theoretically optimal 80 percent of this energy can be used by the organisms of the next higher trophic level.
  13. Biomass energy is the sun's energy stored in organic materials such as wood, grains and peat. Wood and peat are both burned to provide heat. Grains can be fermented into ethanol and used as a liquid fuel.
  14. Sunlight can be converted to electricity using photovoltaic (solar electric) panels. This electricity can be used to operate a multitude of electrical appliances.
  15. The source of the sun's energy has challenged scientists for centuries. In the 19th century it was assumed that the sun's energy resulted from its gravitational collapse.
  16. Most of the sun's energy is emitted in a spectrum from 0.15 µm to 4 µm. 41% of it is visible, 9% is uv, 50 % infra-red. The trick to using it as an energy source is being able to convert it from visible light into heat, electricity or other usable form.
  17. The most common forms of renewable energy are solar, wind, water or hydro, biomass and geothermal energy. Renewable energy sources are maintained or replaced by nature after use.
  18. Most of the energy on the earth’s surface comes from the Sun. In nature, the sun’s energy affects both living and non-living things. Coal is one way in which the sun's energy is stored temporarily, albeit for millions of years.
  19. The Sun's energy is highly organized and carried by photons. Our Biosphere absorbs this energy and then releases it back to the Universe.
  20. Solar thermal power stations use fields of mirrors to capture the sun's energy as heat to boil water and drive steam turbines.
  21. During photosynthesis the sun's energy is used to split water molecules, starting a flow of electrons. The energy from this flow of electrons is harnessed and used to make the bonds in organic molecules.
  22. Thermal conversion is a process whereby the sun's energy is concentrated to heat water and produce steam, which is used to produce electricity. Solar thermal power systems use solar heat energy concentrated using mirrors to drive steam turbines that generate electricity.
  23. Most of the sun's energy is produced during nuclear fusion, in which the union of atomic nuclei from two lighter atoms (hydrogen) unite to form a new heavier atom with smaller mass (helium). The "extra" mass is converted into energy.
  24. The Sun's energy is spread around the planet, but is focused on or near the equator. That centerline of the planet is where you will find long sunny days, very little seasonal change, and the warmest ocean waters.
  25. The Sun's energy is the principal driver of all of Earth's atmospheric events, from weather patterns in the lower layers, through auroras in the upper layers, to the space weather environment of energetic particles at the altitudes of orbiting satellites.
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