You might have appreciated the significance of the solar in our everyday living, thus listed here are some solar energy facts to add your learning on a not so new idea. Solar energy has been around because the civilization of man. It’s within the advent of technology and early scientists and philosophers that the potential of solar energy as a various energy has been truly appreciated by human kind.

The amount of energy the solar spills on the earth in forty minutes is the same as the energy wanted by the world’s population for one year. And, the energy the solar gives in 20 days is equivalent to the energy exhausted by ALL of the oil, coal, and pure fuel reserves on earth. These two facts tell us of the great power of the solar and the quantity of its energy is unused nowadays.

The solar energy is thought to be the most abundant renewable supply of energy for our use nowadays. Not like fossil fuels which would be depleted in the near future, the solar is a timeless source of energy unless in fact its demise will occur in billions of years.  Using solar energy is cost free. This fact would rule out the inconvenience of the imposed fuel taxes today.

The main cause why solar panels are so costly is due to the fact that the process of converting silica to silicon is sort of laborious and needs numerous amount of money. A residential solar system would commonly price at about eight-10 dollars per watt. Though there’s a certain diploma of expensiveness during the set up of a solar energy system, the benefits will definitely weigh out against the cost. Within the lengthy run, the investment you made would be absolutely recovered and definitely, you may earn additional profit from selling extra energy.

It’s good to note that solar methods systems have an approximate guarantee of forty long years. The time being indeed long is very helpful for long-time period visions and goals. Some panels  installed within the 1970s are still in good working condition up to this day.

Some of the more interesting stories going around is a little red house on wheels in Massachusetts that runs totally on solar power, has compost toilet, is portable with a heater and very little but enough furniture, not a breaking story but one that exemplifies American innovation.

Some of the new solar wave terminology spreading over the planet is “Passive homes” and “Active homes”, passive homes are homes that are energy efficient – completely except when weather conditions are overwhelming, and then an outside energy source is needed to maintain the same comfort level. An active house is one that collects more energy than it needs in a years time and stores the excess for needs that exceed the expected or emergency situations.

The first working active/positive home of this type is in Denmark, sad to say we can not make this claim being a country of innovative and original thinkers.  But that does not mean we can’t learn from this and build the next best thing. The home in Denmark is equipped with thermal and electric solar systems, the heat is solar heated and distributed through the flooring creating a radiant heat, a very comfortable way of heating with no visible objects from which the heat is distributed, except the floor has a warm cozy feel from the heated water running through the tubing under it.

Features of new wave solar powered homes include the likes of R40 Larsen Truss walls, triple glazed R6 super windows, glazing revamped for passive solar heating, a new solarium, a hand crafted masonry heater, and much more.  In addition to a very good thermal envelope. Like most good designs, this one is simple and robust without a lot of gadgetry.

Solar power home financing is also an area of growth as far as new ways of finding the money to convert your home, Government incentives are of course the loudest talking ways of financial help, but another way is leasing, there companies who will install and lease the equipment to home owners, again this is where a little smart shopping skills are very valuable.  Should you decide to go with a power purchase agreement make sure you understand everything and have read all the fine print. Many companies have solar plans; shop at least a dozen before making a commitment.

Passive VS Photovoltaic

Photovoltaic solar panels absorb and transform sunlight to direct electrical current. Passive solar panels and absorbers lack the intensity necessary to transform light and heat into electricity; however, they are quite capable of radiating heat and providing hot water. Using both photovoltaic and passive solar systems to power and heat a home is an efficient use of resources.

Unknown interesting fact about solar installation is New Jersey is second only to California in new installations, the important thing about having a home powered by solar and your not fortunate enough to live in California, Arizona, Hawaii or any of the other states blessed with sunlight almost year round, is to have a good power storage system and backup system.

In the coming next year the technological advancements that are coming our way will make solar systems easier to install, finance and maintain, unfortunately its only when the big corporations figure out how to make money from mass installations and a automated way of collecting the excess energy and recycling it will the solar conversion really take off.

By that time solar conversion systems will be hot commercials, one can only imagine what kind of commercials will be aired during half time at the super bowl, I am sure they will be fun if not educational laced with many innuendoes.

Solar energy facts for kids in New Zealand are considered unnecessary by some. When winter hovers over New Zealand, it may seem that day after day is cloudy and grey – especially in some parts of New Zealand. On such days, it is difficult to imagine that solar energy could supply enough electricity for a New Zealand home. Most areas of New Zealand, however, have plenty of solar energy that can be harnessed.

Solar energy can be calculated with a map such as the one on the Sun Wize website. This is called a world solar insolation map. “Insolation” means it is exposed to the sun’s rays. The map shows how many hours of each day a country is exposed to the sun’s rays – in the worst month of the year. In other words, the map shows how much solar energy the country gets each day.

When you find New Zealand on a world solar insolation map, you will see that most of the country gets between 3 and 5 hours of solar energy each day. Remember that 3 to 5 hours is the amount of solar energy in the worst month! On average, counting good and bad days, New Zealand gets approximately 2000 hours of bright sunshine each year.

Solar Energy Facts for Kids

Solar energy facts for kids might include many things, depending on the age of the children involved. A small child of 6 years might understand only simple concepts such as the heat generated by solar energy. Older children of 14 to 17 can grasp the technology of solar panels and generators, and how they convert solar energy to electrical power.

We will not attempt to sort the following facts by age or importance, but simply present them as a collection of ideas to be explored.

* In New Zealand, a solar energy water heating system can save as much as 75 per cent of your family’s water heating costs.

* The word “photovoltaic” comes 2 words. “Photo” refers to light and “voltaic” refers to electricity. A photovoltaic array system changes solar energy collected from sunlight into electricity.

* Cover the roofs of every New Zealand home in photovoltaic (PV) panels, and together they would convert enough solar energy into power each year to supply more than 25 per cent of New Zealand’s needed electricity.

* Solar energy can provide the total electricity needed by a normal three bedroom New Zealand home that is energy efficient.

* Solar energy is quiet, easy to install, and needs little upkeep from the New Zealand home owner.

* Any New Zealand child can, with a little help, build a solar energy stove to cook a small banger.

* Solar energy has been used for many years by New Zealand mums to dry clothing outdoors.

* Germany, a country that is much cloudier than New Zealand, converts solar energy into electricity more than any other country does.

* Solar energy is greater than you might think on cloudy days, since the sunlight that gets through reflects off the bottoms of the clouds.

* Solar energy can turn ocean water into healthy drinking water.

* Solar energy can be used on boats and ships around New Zealand.

* Solar energy is absolutely free to New Zealanders. No other country can charge money for it.

Suggestion for New Zealand teachers: Have a contest to see which group of students can discover the most solar energy facts for kids. Younger children will have fun simply listing solar energy facts for kids. Older students might be required to expand each discovery statement.

Disclaimer: The author receives no compensation from any company mentioned in this article. The information is presented solely for educational purposes.

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