10 Most Interesting Facts About Solar Power That Might Shock You

Solar energy is gaining a lot of popularity these past few years. More and more people are getting interested at the power of the sun due to its positive environmental results.

But what is it all about?

It’s a very green fossil fuel alternative that produces absolutely no noise pollution nor toxic waste products that could pollute the oceans or the atmosphere.

And with advancing technology, it has become easier to manufacture solar panels at a lower cost. That means you can harvest solar power cheaper than ever before.

And cost is a big concern right now because of how prices in fossil fuels have risen each year.

So, if you’re one of the interested to learn more about solar power, we have compiled a list of the most interesting facts about this renewable power source, just for your reading pleasure.

1. Solar Power is Good For The Environment

Solar energy works by converting sunlight into power. That means that solar power is inexhaustible. You can harvest solar energy as long as the sun rises, anytime and any place.

In fact, collecting solar energy is pretty straightforward once you have the necessary equipment. All you need is an area that’s exposed to the sun where you can install the solar panels, so your equipment can start generating solar energy.

The harvesting process is noise pollution free and produces no toxic waste that can damage rivers or the ozone layer.

With less air pollutants caused by burning fossil fuel, there would be less greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

2. You Can Go Off-grid

Gathering solar power for your appliances doesn’t require you to be connected to any external power lines or be registered in any provider. You create your own power and uses it however you want. And wherever you want.

Solar energy is an amazing option if you’re staying in a moving home, whether you’re in a trailer, a van or a tiny house. And that’s because it works in any place as long as you have access to sunlight.

The main advantage of using solar panels, over using a standard generator that runs on gas, is that you don’t need to pack gallons and gallons of fuel when you use solar power.

Can you remember  the smell of burning gas every time you need to power a device using a regular generator? I can, and it really sinks into your clothes, plus generators are extremely noisy and creates a lot of smoke, not ideal for vacations.

Solar panels thankfully don’t do that.

This can also drastically improve the available space inside the vehicle, considering that there’s no big container of gasoline in there. That means you can pack more things and make less gas stops. Not to mention save a bit of cash on the way.

3. It’s Free

One of the best parts of using solar energy is that it’s free! The sun is accessible to everyone, and it’s available every day without missing a day. Even when it’s cloudy or rainy, you can still harvest sunlight.

You can gather as much solar power as you need, the only expense will be buying the solar panels that convert sunlight into power, and that’s it.

Modern technology has made producing solar panels more affordable, which means they can be made available to more people. And, really, once you have your equipments already installed, there’s very little maintaining expenses needed.

The maintenance is easy and really inexpensive because they don’t need water or any cleaning routines (since they don’t produce waste!). You can just go ahead and keep reusing the same solar panels for free.

If you ever need to move house, you can take the solar panels with you, so you can consider them an investment piece that will save you a ton on your electricity bill instead of an expense.

4. Solar Power is Great For Gardens

Gardens are often exposed to the elements like rain and snow (and wildlife!), so this is the last place where we want to install permanent electric wiring, especially for non-essential things like decorative lamps.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a gorgeous outdoor space with mood lighting and trendy light bulbs. This is where solar energy comes in.

You see, you don’t need wiring when use lamps that runs on solar panel, you simply leave them in the garden and they charge themselves during the day, and you can use them when it get’s dark.

You can turn a simple garden into a stylish extension of your living room and have as much decorative lighting as you want without affecting your electric bill, all thanks to solar-powered lamps and fairy lights.

Aside from decorative lights, solar-powered fountains and chandeliers are also available.

5. It’s Also Great For Wild Animals

Since solar energy devices are essentially self-charging, you can leave them in the wild and they would still work. That’s great news for researchers and wildlife enthusiasts.

This means that the equipment that track or help wildlife creatures can be left in the forest for long periods of time, this lessens the human intervention in these territories and reduces the risk of danger for both humans and animals.

Even if you live in the suburbs, you can still take part in this revolutionary way of taking care of animals, in a simple way.

You can install bird baths that runs on solar energy. These bird baths pump fresh water for birds to drink and clean themselves in, without the need for anyone to turn the pump on and off.

That means you can position these bird baths in remote parts of your yard, where birds naturally feel safer.

When bird have access to clean drinking water, they remember the place and return to it, so not only will you help the birds but you’ll also have a yard full of beautiful birds as a reward. Win-win!

6. Solar Energy Is Reliable During Calamities

Harvesting solar energy requires no power lines, complicated machineries or exhaustible fuel.

This makes solar energy a good choice when it comes to large scale calamities, just like what happened to Puerto Rico, where TESLA was able to build solar power plants quickly as response to the hurricane affected population of the area.

That’s because huge solar plants can be erected quickly and with little engineering effort. This means that electricity can be returned to those affected quickly, giving them relief, comfort and safety in times of crisis.

Solar energy is also useful in other emergencies. Having solar powered generator and flashlights means that you can remain warm and safe during blackouts.

And because these things are recharged by the sun, you don’t need to worry about running out of power while waiting for everything to get back to normal.

7.  Solar Power Can Run Cars

Battery-powered cars have been available to the public for a few years now, but did you know that a direct solar-powered car has been released?

The company Lightyear from the Netherlands has come out with a solar powered car called the Lightyear One. It has over 16 sq. ft. of solar panels distributed on its roof and sides (protected by a strong safety glass, of course) and can run for about 450 miles on one charge.

If you’re concerned about not having enough time to charge it using the sun, rest assured that the Lightyear One can be charged using  traditional methods, too.

The future really is solar. This car is only the first of many, pretty soon everyone can take extended car trips without needing multiple pit stops to a gas station.

Once fully solar cars become wildly available, the incidents of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gas will be a thing of the past.

But the biggest change will be the fact that CO2 emissions will drop and cities with large populations of cars will be considerably less polluted.

With less air pollution caused by cars, there would be lower cases of people with respiratory conditions, especially in big cities.

8. The Sun Produces Enough Energy For Everyone

Aside from being renewable, solar energy is also very plentiful, to the extent that it’s almost impossible to use up all the energy the sun gives us every single day.

To give you an example, the earth receives enough solar energy from the sun in just one hour to power the entire world for a whole year. Solar energy is so abundant that it’s actually hard to imagine just how much that is.

So you can use as much solar power as you want without feeling guilty that you’re taking someone else’s share of it.

The main reason why solar energy is not as widely used yet is that efficient solar batteries are still being perfected, so they can store more of this energy for longer periods of time.

But once the technology is completed, everyone can take full advantage of the power of the sun.

9. Solar Panels Are Lightweight

Aside from being installed in homes and cars, solar panels are light enough to be physically carried. Typically, they weigh about 2-3 pounds per square foot, and you generally don’t need huge panels to generate enough power to charge a phone.

This makes them the perfect candidate for camping gears and backpacks.

In fact, solar backpacks are becoming popular because of how efficient they are. I mean, you’re already going to be exposed to the sun while you commute or hike, so that makes your backpack prime real estate for solar panels.

Imagine, your smartphone or laptop will be charged as you walk. Who doesn’t need extra percentage on their devices? This could be a life saver during those extended field trips or maybe a long hiking trail.

Being lightweight doesn’t just make solar panels an ideal addition to backpacks, but this also means that even the bigger panels are easy to transport and install.

This further adds to the accessibility of solar power, since you don’t need a special vehicle to move them from point A to point B, just a regular car will do the job.

10. You Can Cook Using The Power Of The Sun

This one feels intuitive, of course the sun makes every surface warm, and food cook on warm things right?

But you will be surprised how creative the designs of solar cookers are. Most of them use big reflectors to speed up the heating process. Just imagine having this during camping trips and picnics near the lake.

You can just store a solar cooker in your boat, so can have an impromptu lunch whenever you catch a big trout or a blue gill. You won’t need to worry about whether or not you have charcoal, lighter fuel or kindling with you.

Just cook, rinse it and forget about until the next time you need a cooker. Just like all things should be when you’re fishing.

Another great purpose of a solar-powered cooker is for emergencies. Since you don’t need any charcoal that can get wet or any type of fire starter to use this, it can be kept in your survival storage for a very long time.

You can reuse a solar cooker over and over again without needing to replace gas canisters, unlike a traditional portable cooker does.

Final Thoughts

I hope those facts make you even more interested in trying out solar powered devices, or maybe even installing solar panels on your home to save some money on your electric bill.

Solar energy can be used in a variety of ways: for fun, during emergencies, to save the planet or maybe just to save money. Whatever your reasons may be in trying it out, we’re glad to help you learn more about solar power.

Our passion is to introduce people to how awesome using the power of the sun is, I mean, it’s great everyone. It’s cheap and it helps the environment.

It really is the future when it comes to powering the lives and homes of people in a safe, clean and renewable way.