Did you know solar panels are made of silicon, which is also used
to make computer chips? That’s why they’re so efficient. Did you also know that
these panels work best when they face south? This means the sun can shine on
them all day long, making them more productive.
It is a resource that is clean, abundant and inexhaustible. Here
are seven little known facts about energy harnessed by the sun which will
change your perspective on this fantastic resource:
You can store its energy in salt
Salt has been found as an efficient storage solution for
concentrated solar power (CSP) generators as it can store heat from the sun’s
rays even after dark. This means that it could be a perfect solution for
storing renewable energy from CSP plants in deserts, where large amounts of
unused land and sunlight are plentiful.
It can be deployed faster than any other resource
Energy from the sun has several benefits, but the most important
one is that it can be deployed much quicker than any other electricity
generation. When disaster strikes, no electricity source can be built or
repaired as quickly.
The space industry was one of the first to use renewable
technologies
In the 1950s, the space industry began to use renewable technology
to provide power aboard spacecraft. Vanguard 1 – the first artificial satellite
run by solar cells – remains the oldest manufactured satellite in orbit,
logging more than 6 billion miles.
Panels are now a standard feature on satellites and rovers
exploring other planets like Mars or Venus, as well as for large-scale ground
installations that generate clean electricity from sunlight.
One hour of sunlight is enough to power the entire Earth for a year
One hour of direct sunlight is all it takes to collect enough
energy to generate a year’s worth of energy for the entire Earth. It doesn’t
take much, but with this free and powerful resource at our disposal, imagine
what could be accomplished?
The world’s largest solar plant is in California
Ivanpah Power Facility is the world’s largest operating solar
thermal plant. It uses CSP technology to focus 173,500 heliostats, each
containing two mirrors, onto boilers located in three power towers. The plant,
which came online in 2014, has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts (MW).
Panels don’t need direct sunlight
It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy outside or not. They can capture
different parts of the sunlight spectrum – so even when the sun isn’t beaming
directly onto them, they’ll still be generating electricity for your home.
The cost of panels has fallen 99 per cent since 1977
Lower prices mean that now is a great time to invest in solar power
for your home or business. This will save you money on your electric bill and
help protect our environment and reduce pollution from fossil fuels. With so
many benefits, there’s no reason not to go green today.
Energy Matters