Solar Power Information – Some Solar Power Facts

• Solar electric costs are now less than nuclear electric costs for the first time.  This means that electric power can be produced economically through solar power.
• In 5 billion years the sun will run out of fuel.  But we will be out of coal, gas and oil long before that.
• The first solar panel was invented in 1767.
• In 1830 solar energy was used to cook for the first time.
• It takes the sun one minute to give off enough radiation to light up the world for an entire year.
• Satellites are able to work for years because they depend upon solar power.

Solar Power Information – Some More Solar Power Facts

• Some where around 2 billion people have no access to electricity, but they do have sunshines there.  Solar power would be an excellent choice for their power source.
• It takes 3.3kWh of energy to generate 1kWh of electricity.
• A single 175 watt solar module can produce 12,000kWh of usable electricity over time.
• In one hour the sun sends us more energy than we could use in a whole year.
• The solar electric systems installed since 1988 provide enough electricity to power 250,000 American homes.  That same amount of solar power could provide enough electricity for about 8 million homes in the developing countries.
• The costs of solar electric systems continues to drop as advances are made.
• Excess solar powered electricity can be sold back to the electric company.
• Most home solar powered generator systems costs between $8.00-$10.00 per Watt installed.
• It has been estimated  for every $1.00 annual savings in utility costs adds about $20.00 to a home’s value.
• It has been shown that a home with a solar powered generator systems will sell twice as fast as a similar home without solar power.
• Most home solar electric systems pay for themselves within 4-5 years of use.   But your ROI will depend upon your cost, load and location.
• Solar power rebates and incentives can reduce the cost of your installation by as much as 50%.

Solar Power Information – Other Solar Energy Information

• Around 70% of U.S. solar cell production is exported, mostly to third world countries.
• Solar electricity is becoming the power supply of choice for remote, small-power DC applications of 100w or less.
• The highest demand for electricity is during the day. Solar power is available during the day as an alternative power source.

The sun shines and a photovoltaic solar panel produces direct current.  This direct current is stored in special batteries and then converted into alternating current to be used in your home.  Simple isn’t it?  Well it really is.  And if you produce more solar powered electricity than you need, you can sell it back to the power company.

For some more information see Solar Energy Facts – What You Should Know

Solar power information is important for all of us to understand and potentially use to produce our home electricity.