There are plenty of cold, hard facts about solar energy out there, but what about fun facts about solar energy?
While solar energy and its related renewable energy cousins, such as wind, geothermal and hydroelectricity, are serious business and options that are being considered potential saviors of our planet as we look at a future that has the threat of global warming hanging over it, i am not saying to say there's not a lighter side to solar and renewable energy.
Sometimes you've just already a certain amount of fun and let off some steam in amongst all the serious business of saving money and preserving the planet, so let's do just that and have a look at some fun facts about solar energy.
1. Solar energy is available to us in 2 forms - light and heat.
2. When you open your drapes every day to let some light in, are you aware that you're also heating up your home?
3. The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second and it takes light approximately 8 minutes to reach Earth. So, light covers the distance of over 90 million miles from the sun inside of 10 minutes!
4. Particles of light are called photons.
5. The "photovoltaic effect" was discovered in the 19th century by French physicist, Edmund Becquerel, when he noticed that when light struck a semiconductor material such as selenium, it generated a small electrical charge.
6. The word photovoltaic is a variety of the words "photon", meaning, a particle of light, and "volt", being a measure of electrical force.
7. Modern solar cells operate using the photovoltaic effect, with silicon acting as the semiconductor.
8. Next time you eat Springlike chips, don't throw the tube away. You need to use it to heat hot dogs! It's true. You just need the can, a skewer (slightly longer than the can), copier transparency and Scotch tape. Cut a rectangular opening about 6 inches by 3 inches in the center of the can in an attempt to create 2 flaps. Pull the flaps back and cover the opening with the transparency. Put a hole in the metal end of the can and one in the plastic top. Thread a hot dog onto the skewer and put the skewer inside the can so one end goes through the hole in the metal end and then thread the hole in the plastic top over the other end of the skewer, in order that the skewer with the hot dog on it is suspended during the can. Take the cooker out and place it in direct sunlight, adjusting it now and then to ensure it's tracking the sun, and, within 30 minutes or so, you will have a freshly cooked hot dog!
9. In the 19th century, John Herschel, a British astronomer, cooked food using solar thermal heat while on an African expedition (Absolutely suit, what did he cook?!!??! A hot dog?).
10. Solar panels and solar collectors are different. A panel converts sunlight to electricity and a collector absorbs heat which it transfers to air or liquid.
11. The sun beams down more energy in 1 hour than the whole planet can use in an entire year.
12. Solar energy is used to power more than 10,000 houses in the U.S.A.
In the serious world of solar, a world that sometimes takes itself too seriously, it's good to let off steam and lighten things up a bit and just have some powerful fun. Hopefully, these facts made your solar day a little more fun.
While solar energy and its related renewable energy cousins, such as wind, geothermal and hydroelectricity, are serious business and options that are being considered potential saviors of our planet as we look at a future that has the threat of global warming hanging over it, i am not saying to say there's not a lighter side to solar and renewable energy.
Sometimes you've just already a certain amount of fun and let off some steam in amongst all the serious business of saving money and preserving the planet, so let's do just that and have a look at some fun facts about solar energy.
1. Solar energy is available to us in 2 forms - light and heat.
2. When you open your drapes every day to let some light in, are you aware that you're also heating up your home?
3. The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second and it takes light approximately 8 minutes to reach Earth. So, light covers the distance of over 90 million miles from the sun inside of 10 minutes!
4. Particles of light are called photons.
5. The "photovoltaic effect" was discovered in the 19th century by French physicist, Edmund Becquerel, when he noticed that when light struck a semiconductor material such as selenium, it generated a small electrical charge.
6. The word photovoltaic is a variety of the words "photon", meaning, a particle of light, and "volt", being a measure of electrical force.
7. Modern solar cells operate using the photovoltaic effect, with silicon acting as the semiconductor.
8. Next time you eat Springlike chips, don't throw the tube away. You need to use it to heat hot dogs! It's true. You just need the can, a skewer (slightly longer than the can), copier transparency and Scotch tape. Cut a rectangular opening about 6 inches by 3 inches in the center of the can in an attempt to create 2 flaps. Pull the flaps back and cover the opening with the transparency. Put a hole in the metal end of the can and one in the plastic top. Thread a hot dog onto the skewer and put the skewer inside the can so one end goes through the hole in the metal end and then thread the hole in the plastic top over the other end of the skewer, in order that the skewer with the hot dog on it is suspended during the can. Take the cooker out and place it in direct sunlight, adjusting it now and then to ensure it's tracking the sun, and, within 30 minutes or so, you will have a freshly cooked hot dog!
9. In the 19th century, John Herschel, a British astronomer, cooked food using solar thermal heat while on an African expedition (Absolutely suit, what did he cook?!!??! A hot dog?).
10. Solar panels and solar collectors are different. A panel converts sunlight to electricity and a collector absorbs heat which it transfers to air or liquid.
11. The sun beams down more energy in 1 hour than the whole planet can use in an entire year.
12. Solar energy is used to power more than 10,000 houses in the U.S.A.
In the serious world of solar, a world that sometimes takes itself too seriously, it's good to let off steam and lighten things up a bit and just have some powerful fun. Hopefully, these facts made your solar day a little more fun.
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