The use of solar energy is not only focused on homes, nowadays its use in the industrial and commercial sector has spread. And even if you think you know everything about solar energy, we assure you that there are many facts that may be completely unknown to you.
In case you are interested in knowing many more facts about solar energy, you will love the following curious details.
1.-The amount of energy emitted by the sun is much greater than what is required for the entire planet.
The size of the sun is 109 times larger than the size of the earth, which is why it has an energy capacity that is 4,000 times greater than that required for the entire planet.
2.-About 1,366 watts of solar radiation per square meter is received by the earth.
Before solar radiation enters the atmosphere, the earth has already received more than 1,366 watts. The rest of the sun's energy will be reflected, absorbed and scattered by clouds.
3.-The first solar panels that were created were destined for space.
During the 1950s, the solar panels that were manufactured were intended to be used in space satellites, so they all ended up in space.
It would be in the 70's when solar panels would begin to be known for commercial purposes for the general public.
4.- 60 minutes of solar radiation is enough for a year of energy for the whole planet.
Yes, although it may seem incredible to you, just 1 hour of solar radiation received on earth is equivalent to the electricity consumption of the entire planet every year.
5.- During its useful life, a solar panel can reduce emissions of 100 tons of carbon dioxide.
Solar panels can have a useful life of approximately 25 years and during this time they will maintain their energy production up to 90%.
Taking this into account and the fact that even after their useful life the panels can continue to produce energy, although in smaller quantities, it can be assured that the contribution to the reduction of pollution is astounding.
6- We owe the foundations of photovoltaic generation to Einstein.
Yes, Albert Einstein has been the mastermind behind great advances in society, great discoveries and photovoltaic power generation does not escape from this.
And the fact is that many years before its use, in 1905, Einstein had already made a comprehensive explanation of the photoelectric effect.
He concluded, or at least assumed, that electromagnetic radiation was composed of energy packets and that this would depend on the frequency of the light.
However, it would not be until 1922 when Einstein would obtain the Nobel Prize for such a contribution.
7.-The current cost of installing solar panels is up to 80% lower than 10 years ago.
The great fear of those who are considering installing solar panels at home, in businesses or in a company, is the large investment they must make. But what would you think if I told you that their price is up to 80% less than the selling cost of photovoltaic installations 10 years ago?
And so it is, even if you take into account the price of solar panels in the 80s, with the current selling price, the decrease has been more than 90%.
The reasons for this price decrease are multiple, but the most relevant is that more and more manufacturers are competing with each other to put their solar panels on the market.
China has also played a crucial role in all this, as the main solar industries are located in this country.
Solar energy is now affordable for everyone, with many countries even offering tax incentives to those who opt for this clean energy.
The fact that it is possible to feed surplus solar energy production into the grid, and that this results in a faster payback of the main investment, has also led to a considerable drop in prices.
No matter if there are cloudy or rainy days, solar production will not stop.
Contrary to what many people consider, solar production will not stop even if there are cloudy days, so this is a concern that you have to remove from your head.
Solar panels make use of both direct and indirect light. Solar production may decrease, but it will not stop completely, and that is what you should be concerned about.
In the case of rainfall, the same is true, there will still be considerable solar production.
Besides, you can take advantage of the rain, since it will help the dirt accumulated on the solar panels to be washed away, allowing that in the sunniest days, the capture of solar radiation to produce energy will be greater.
9.-China is the country with the most solar plants in the world.
This is something that should not surprise you, after all, China is the giant in everything related to technology, so as far as solar energy is concerned they could not be left behind.
In this country there are more than 400 solar companies, in fact it has been such an incursion in this field, not only in production but also in consumption, that in China it is much cheaper to make use of solar energy than the electricity grid, that is why it is the country with the largest capacity of photovoltaic solar energy.
10.-Solar energy is a rapidly deployable energy source.
This means that if natural disasters occur, solar panels can be reinstalled or repaired in just a few weeks or even less, thus allowing the restitution of energy production in the shortest possible time.
This makes solar energy one of the safest energy sources, since neither fossil fuels nor other renewable energy sources can guarantee that in case of emergencies, energy services will be restored quickly.
