Fun Facts About Solar

It takes about 8 minutes for energy from the sun to reach Earth

Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource on earth – 173,000 terawatts of solar energy strikes the Earth continuously. That's more than 10,000 times the world's total energy use.

Total U.S. installations may reach 3,300 megawatts this year – putting the country on track to be the fourth largest solar market in the world.

Solar Power

The Big Picture

Unit 3: Solar Power

1.1 History & Uses

1.2 Passive

1.3 Active

Power Transmission & Impacts

Essential Questions (pt 1)

What is solar power?What is the electromagnetic

spectrum and how is it related to temperature?

Essential Questions (pt 2)

What is active solar energy and how can it be used?

What is passive solar energy and how can it be used?

How do solar cells work?

Essential Questions (pt 3)

How is electricity generated from solar energy transformed for use in the home?

What are the socio-environmental impacts of using solar energy?

How much energy is emitted by our Sun?

•The sun produces about 3.8 x 1023 kW of energy•Only one one-billionth of that reaches Earth•34% of what reaches Earth is reflected by clouds

…so how much Solar Energy reaches the

Earth???

250 Trillion Kilowatts!!!

In 2008, 144 Trillion kWh were consumed on

Earth.

More solar energy reaches the Earth in 1

HOUR than is consumed by us in 1 YEAR

How much energy is emitted by our Sun?

…so there’s a lot of energy emitted by our Sun. What of it?

Well, we can use it to generate power or heat our homes.

That’s what! Solar Power!!!

History of Solar Power

7th Century BC

Magnifying glass used to concentrate sun’s rays to make fire and to burn ants.

As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.)

History of Solar Power

2nd Century BC

As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.)

History of Solar Power

1st – 4th Century AD

The famous Roman bathhouses in the first to fourth centuries A.D. had large south facing windows to let in the sun’s warmth.

1200 AD

Ancestors of Pueblo people called Anasazi in North America live in south-facingcliff dwellings that capture the winter sun.

History of Solar Power

1767

Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure was credited with building the world’s first solar collector.

1839

French scientist Edmond Becquerel discovers the photovoltaic effect whileexperimenting with an electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes placedin an electricity-conducting solution—electricity-generation increased whenexposed to light

History of Solar Power

1876

1876 William Grylls Adams and Richard Evans Day discover that selenium produces electricity when exposed to light. Although selenium solar cells failed to convert enough sunlight to power electrical equipment, they proved that a solid material could change light into electricity without heat or moving parts.

1883

Charles Fritts, an American inventor, described the first solar cells made fromselenium wafers.

History of Solar Power

Charles Fritts, an American inventor, described the first solar cells made fromselenium wafers.

1891

Baltimore inventor Clarence Kemp patented the first commercial solarwater heater. For more information on the water heater, see thehttp://www.californiasolarcenter.org/history_solarthermal.html CaliforniaSolar Center.

1954

Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs—the first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sun’s energy into power to run everyday electrical equipment.

History of Solar Power

Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson develop the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs—the first solar cell capable of converting enough of the sun’s energy into power to run everyday electrical equipment.

1960

Silicon Sensors, Inc., of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, is founded. It starts producing selenium and silicon photovoltaic cells.

1969

The Odeillo solar furnace in France was constructed, using an 8-story parabolic mirror.

History of Solar Power

1982

The U.S. Department of Energy, along with an industry consortium, beginsoperating Solar One, a 10-megawatt central-receiver demonstration project.

1999

Cumulative worldwide installed photovoltaic capacity reaches 1000 megawatts.

History of Solar Power

7th Century BC

Magnifying glass used to concentrate sun’s rays to make fire and to burn ants.

As early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse. (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.)

What’s Coming Up?

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Passive Solar Energy

Active Solar Energy

Power Transmission

Impacts on Environment/Society