The sun is the driving force behind many of the Earth’s systems and processes. It has been providing the Earth with energy for about 4.5 billion years and will continue to do so for about another 4.5 billion years.
Becoming more efficient at capturing and utilizing this energy will be key to the sustainable development of the human race.
Here are three fun facts (and a video) about solar power:
1) At any point, 173,000 terawatts of solar energy reaches the Earth
2) Enough sunlight hits the Earth in one hour to meet the world's energy demands for one year
3) If we could collect 0.01% of the sun’s energy, it would be more than enough to meet the demands of all people on Earth
The sun is also the root source of energy for other types of energy we harness. Wind energy is simply a result of the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the sun. Fossil fuels contain chemical energy that was once energy from the sun.
Here is a good introductory video on solar power from the folks at energyNOW! It’s a good starting point, but there is so much more to know about solar power.