How does solar power work?
Solar power works by converting energy from the sun into power.
There are two forms of energy generated from the sun for our use –
electricity and heat.
Both are generated through the use of solar panels, which range in
size from residential rooftops to ‘solar farms’ stretching over acres
of rural land.
Is solar power a clean energy source?
Yes, solar power is a renewable and infinite energy source that creates no
harmful greenhouse gas emissions – as long as the sun continues to shine, energy will
be released.
The carbon footprint of solar panels is already quite small, as they last for over 25
years. Plus, the materials used in the panels are increasingly recycled, so the carbon
footprint will continue to shrink.
When was solar power discovered?
Solar energy was used by humans as early as the 7 th century B.C. when humans used
sunlight to light fires by reflecting the sun’s rays onto shiny objects. Later, in
3rd century B.C., the Greeks and Romans harnessed solar power with mirrors to light
torches for religious ceremonies.
In 1839 and at the age of just 19, French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the
photovoltaic (PV) effect while experimenting with a cell made of metal electrodes in a
conducting solution. He noted that the cell produced more electricity when it was
exposed to light – it was a photovoltaic cell.
In 1954 PV technology was born when Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson
developed the silicon PV cell at Bell Labs in 1954 – the first solar cell capable of
absorbing and converting enough of the sun's energy into power to run everyday
electrical equipment.
Today satellites, spacecraft orbiting Earth, are powered by solar energy.
