Here is a collection of fascinating solar power fun facts. People have used the sun as a heat source for thousands of years. It is only with the advances in technology that have taken place in recent years that have enabled us to fully harness this energy.

Families in ancient Greece built their homes to get the most sunlight throughout the cold winter months. The ancient Greeks believed that the sun was the god Helios and he drove his chariot around the earth towards the sky in the morning and in the evening back again.

The invention of the photovoltaic effect is credited to the French physicist Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel in 1839.

In 1921 the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Albert Einstein for investigations with solar power and photovoltaics.

Way back in 1955 The American Solar Energy Society conducted its first meeting in Phoenix and attracted the first Russian scientist to the US following the second World War. There is film footage exhibiting early photovoltaics which was developed for NASA, solar cookers and solar heating panels.

The first solar flight occurred in 1974 in California by an unmanned plane which was developed by two brothers Roland and Bob Boucher.

In 1975 the first solar vessel was built in England and in 1996 Kenichi Horie from Japan made the first solar powered crossing of the Pacific Ocean in a catamaran.

The first World Solar Challenge took place in 1987. This is the solar-powered car race covering 3021 km over the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide.

Did you know that it is actually possible to boost any solar panel output by 75% simply by positioning a mirror that is about twice the size of the panel on the surface in front of the panel?

Photo voltaic cells do not need direct sunlight to work - you can still generate some electric power on a cloudy day.

Solar electricity is a green, sustainable energy and does not put out any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants. A typical home PV system can save around 1200kg of CO2 annually which is around 30 tonnes spanning a lifetime.

You can store the electricity that your solar power system generates in batteries for a cloudy day.

You may sell any extra electricity you produce with your solar power back to the grid and make a bit of money.

It takes only about eight minutes for solar energy to travel from the sun to the earth.

Approximately 30% of the radiation that we get from the sun at the upper atmosphere is reflected back to space. The rest is absorbed by the clouds, oceans and also land masses on Earth. Yet even in these types of conditions, the energy which our planet gets from just one hour of sun exposure is equal to the amount of energy that humans use in a whole year.

Large scale solar projects that are currently being developed world wide show that sun powered clean energy technology are both achievable and lucrative. Solar power plants produce Megawatts (MW) with one MW being sufficient energy to supply 1000 homes. One of the most significant solar power projects that the world has ever seen is the "Desertec" plan to use the uninhabitable North African desert for a power grid of concentrated thermal electrical power stations which could supply Europe with all of its energy needs by the year 2050. So much progress within such a short period of time let us see where solar electricity will go from here.

Solar Power Costs - What Everybody Should Really Know
There are 2 main factors that govern solar power cost and these are quite simply, the production cost of the solar panels and the installation cost of the solar system in your home.

Solar Power Lights - Significantly Trim Down Your Power Expenses
Reduce your energy bill and install solar power lights in your garden. Installation could not be easier for many types of solar garden lights it is as simple as either staking it into the ground or affixing it to a post.

Solar Panels And Solar Power Heater Designs; Three Essential Sorts Of Solar Panels.
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Alternative Power For Your Residential Home
The trend toward homes that are powered by alternative energy sources, ranging from wind turbines and solar collection cells to hydrogen fuel cells and biomass gases, is one that needs to continue into the 21 st century and beyond.

Keys On Purchasing The Suitable Solar Powered Lights
Everyone is in competition to have more and more profits. And the only possible thing to happen is either the income would increase or the expenses would go down.

Solar Power
Now that we have the option, why settle for unfair rates by utility companies by passing on the increase in expenses to the customers if you have a better alternative.

How Christmas Solar Lights Can Keep Your Home Safer
Christmas solar lights come on when night falls. They come on all by themselves. You do not need to be in the house for this to happen. Why does this make your house safer?