12 Solar Energy Facts You Might Not Know About

Solar energy is a renewable energy source in which it can generate clean and sustainable electricity without producing planet-warming greenhouse gas emission or toxic pollution in the process. While solar energy can be dated all the way back in 700BC, it was not widely commercialised until about 40 years ago and accepted as a clean and effective alternative to fossil fuels. Though developing countries enjoy the advantage of being located in regions where they have optimal access to the sun’s rays, the lack of investment and climate debt means solar energy has been slow to grow in the region. Meanwhile, developed countries such as America, Australia, and more recently, China, have become the leaders in solar power generation. As time is ticking before the world crosses the tipping point to limit global temperature increase under 1.5C, switching to renewable energy such as solar is now more crucial than ever. Here are 12 solar energy facts to help make the argument.

 

Interesting Solar Energy Facts Solar is the Most Abundant Energy Source on Earth Solar energy refers to light and heat radiation from the sun that is harnessed to generate electricity. While we scale up technologies across the globe to capture and convert solar energy, the Earth already receives it in spades. An hour and half’s worth of solar energy that reaches to the surface of the planet has enough power to meet all of humanity’s energy consumption for an entire year. Since the sun is not going away anytime soon, we have the ability and technology to depend on solar energy entirely and end the global use and consumption of fossil fuels.