Curious about what you might not know?
This article from energy.gov features the top 6 things people do not
know about solar energy. Facts include:
- The amount of potential solar energy that strikes the earth at any given time is 10,000 times the world’s energy use. That's 173,000 terawatts, which is an enormous amount of energy considering the average light bulb is only 60 watts.
- The first silicon solar cell was created over 55 years ago, by Bell Laboratories, which is the same Bell as Alexander Graham Bell, the man who invented the telephone.
- The space industry has been using solar energy since the 1960's when it was used as a method to power things on spacecrafts. The oldest satellite in space the Vanguard 1 is still in orbit thanks to solar cells.
- The first quarter of 2012 produced 85% more solar panels than the first quarter of last year. Considering the installations in total may reach over 3300 megawatts this year, that could put the United States as the fourth largest producer of solar energy on the planet.
- As prices for solar energy continue to fall, more and more people are turning to solar paneling on their homes, and their have even been government initiatives that are attempting to drive down, and get rid of some of the soft costs associated with solar paneling.
- Probably most impressively is the California Solar Project, which when complete will have more than 350,000 mirrors reflecting light on to boilers that will provide energy for approximate 140,000 homes.What to know more of what “You Didn’t Know”? Find the full article here:
http://energy.gov/news-blog
