Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Did You Know About Solar Energy Facts
Did You Know About Solar Energy Facts
Did You Know About Solar Energy Facts
The consumption of non-renewable sources like oil, gas and coal is increasing at an
alarming rate. The time has finally come to look after some other renewable sources
of energy i.e. solar, wind and geothermal energy. Although many countries have
started utilizing solar energy extensively but still they have to go a long way to
exploit this energy to fulfil their daily demand for energy. Here are few facts on solar
energy that can help you assess the potential of solar energy to meet global
requirements.
The sum of the tiny squares you see on the world-map is the area that is required to cover
the entire energy consumption with solar power.
The Helios Prototype (above) reached a record altitude of 96 863 feet in late 2001, which is
the highest altitude reached by an aircraft that is not powered by rockets for sustained
horizontal flight.
You probably know that solar energy is considered a renewable energy source. The reason
for this is that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the Sun (also known as sunlight)
will be around for us to harness, and will not disappear anytime soon:
According to astrophysics, the Sun was born about 4.57 billion years ago and has another
6-7 billion years before it becomes a white dwarf (a planetary stage where nuclear fuel in
the star is exhausted).
Fortunately you dont have to worry about this. When the hydrogen reserves on the Sun
are depleted, it will expand into a red giant, and will likely swallowing the Earth. Luckily we
have another 5 billion years before this will happen!