Here is a collection of remarkable solar power fun facts. People have used the sun as a heat resource for hundreds of years. It is only with the advancements in technology that have taken place in recent years that have enabled us to finally harness this power.

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

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

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

Back in 1955 The American Solar Energy Society conducted its first meeting in Phoenix and attracted the first Russian scientist to the US after the second World War. There is film footage presenting early photovoltaics which was specially designed for NASA, solar cookers and solar heating panels.

The first solar flight took place in 1974 in California by an unmanned plane which was put together by two brothers Roland and Bob Boucher.

In 1975 the earliest solar boat had been built in England and in 1996 Kenichi Horie from Japan made the first solar powered crossing of the Pacific Ocean using a catamaran.

The earliest World Solar Challenge was held in 1987. This is a solar-powered car competition covering 3021 km through the Australian outback from Darwin to Adelaide.

Did you know it is actually possible to boost any solar power panel productivity by 75% by simply placing a mirror that is approximately twice the size of the panel on the ground in front of the solar panel?

Photo voltaic cells do not need direct sunshine to work - you may still produce some electricity on a cloudy day.

Solar electricity is an eco-friendly, renewable energy that does not put out any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollution. An average home Photovoltaic system could save about 1200kg of CO2 per year which is about 30 tonnes spanning a lifetime.

You can store the electrical energy that a solar power system produces in batteries for a cloudy day.

You can sell any excess electricity that you generate with your solar power back to the grid making a little bit of money.

It takes no more than 8 minutes for solar energy to travel from the sun to the earth.

About 30% of the radiation we get from the sun at the upper atmosphere is actually reflected back up into space. The remainder is absorbed by the clouds, oceans and land masses on Earth. Nevertheless even in these conditions, the power which our planet gets from merely a single hour of sun exposure is the same as the amount of power that humans use within an entire year.

Large scale solar projects which are currently being developed world wide show that sun powered clean energy technologies are both attainable and also profitable. Solar power plants produce Megawatts (MW) with one MW being enough power to supply 1000 households. One of the most significant solar power projects which the world has ever seen is the "Desertec" program to utilize the uninhabitable North African desert for a power grid of concentrated thermal power stations that could supply Europe with just about all of its power requirements by the year 2050. So much progress within such a short period of time let us all see exactly where solar electricity will go from here.

Facts About Solar Power Costs
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.

Foldable Solar Panel - Find Out Some Of The Advantages When Using This Electric Generator And The Right Way To Make Use Of It
Learn where to buy a good foldable solar panel for sale at an inexpensive price and start lowering your electricity now.

Additional Electricity Just For The Household
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.

Solar Energy Powered Veranda Thread Lights - Inexpensive Added To Your Yard Deck Lighting
Solar String lights are the most common patio lights, they are similar to Christmas tree lighting with the exception of a plug. Other times you see them wrapped around a tree trunk, hung across a veranda or utilized in some form of outdoor garden decorations.

Identifying The Proper Solar Energy Panels For The Home
Looking to find the best solar panels for your home? There are some ways to do this. Here, you will discover some great tips to finding the best solar panels for your home!

Advance Your Exterior Area With The Solar Outdoor LED Bulbs
You can find solar LED lights which have been made especially for the outside. These lights can exist through extreme weather conditions. There are also solar lights that feature vandal-proof panels. The actual fact that most of these are automatic also adds to their effectiveness.

Solar Power Patio LED Light Bulbs
A lot of folks are choosing to spend more time outdoors enjoying time on there decks, and at night they're in need of some kind of lighting. This night time light may be rendered by solar deck LED lights.