Solar energy is one of the main methods of alternative energy to help solve the problems caused by the burning of fossils fuels, such as pollution and global warming. Here are a few interesting facts related to it:

1. Solar energy is the blanket term used to describe how, via a variety of methods, energy is obtained from the sun. Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when considering solar energy are the increasingly popular solar panels, though even biomass, wind and hydropower are also different forms of solar energy. Wind is a result of fluctuations in temperature in which the sun plays a principal role. Wind affects waves, and rainfall – the result of evaporated water heated by the sun – feeds back into the very rivers that provide the power for sources such as hydroelectricity in dams.

2. Solar energy is regularly used in such processes as heating, cooling, cooking, various lighting applications, communications and powering spacecraft (in particular unmanned craft such as satellites).

3. Contrary to the fact that in environmental terms they are presented as polar opposites fossil fuels are themselves forms of stored solar energy. Fossil fuels such as coal and gas are formed from decomposed plant or animal matter that originally grew and thrived by producing and consuming energy and food from sunlight.

4. The use of solar energy is nothing new — for centuries building methods have accounted for the sun’s trajectory in looking to ensure optimal light and warmth. This can be evidenced in both ancient Greek writings from thousands of years ago as well as traditional Asian teaching (such as those noted as “Feng Shui”).

5. In the last half of the 15th century Leonardo Da Vinci came up with the idea of using solar power for industrial purposes. He proposed the use of concave mirrors to heat water.

6. Solar energy is becoming increasingly important for both industrially developed and developing economies. Due to the fact that fossil fuel reserves are rapidly depleting and their use is fraught with environmental and economic problems they do not provide a viable long-term solution for energy and power. The sun is not limited in terms of reserves, and the renewable energy sources it fuels dramatically reduce environmental and economic impacts.

7. In energy terms the output of a 1 Kilowatt solar energy unit equates roughly to the burning of 170 pounds of fuel. This would result in the release of around 300 pounds of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere.

8. Germany is the current world leader in both research and production of solar power, though following the global economic crisis of late 2008/2009 other countries have taken steps forward in their own solar power development and are moving to develop strong footholds in the opened up market as well.

9. The average solar cell maintains only 20-30% effectiveness in converting the sun’s rays into usable energy and loses efficiency the hotter it becomes, however recent developments have developed some energy cells that can convert 40-50% of the sun’s rays as power.