What is solar energy?

Solar energy means using the energy of sunlight to provide electricity, to heat water, and to heat or cool homes, businesses or industry.  Sunlight is a clean, renewable source of energy .The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy. Everyone can see the sun, although this star is at a remote distance of fifty million km. We have always used the energy of the sun as far back as humans have existed onthis planet. As far back as 5,000 years ago, people “worshipped” the sun. Ra, the sun-god, who was considered the first king of Egypt. In Mesopotamia, the sun-god Shamash was a major deity and was equated with justice. In Greece there were two sun deities, Apollo and Helios. The influence of the sun also appears in other religions – Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Roman religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Druids of England, the Aztecs of Mexico, the Incas of Peru, and many Native American tribes.
We know today, that the sun is simply our nearest star. Without it, life would not exist on our planet. We use the sun’s energy every day in many different ways.
When we hang laundry outside to dry in the sun, we are using the sun’s heat to do work – drying our clothes.
The sun is a sustainable resource, meaning it doesn’t run out, the supply can be maintained. Perhaps the most interesting benefit of solar power energy is the fact that users get to provide their own energy, thus decreasing the need to rely on utility companies. Bear in mind that almost every year, electricity rates go higher, forcing us to shell out more money every month. With solar power energy, however, rising electricity charges may not have a bigger effect on people. Some people may have second thoughts about using solar power energy systems because of the cost to purchase and to have it set up. Having solar power energy panels installed in your home may sometimes reach the cost of thousands of dollars. However, when you think about the benefits and the total percentage of savings you get yearly, having a solar powered system can be better than paying utility companies just to get electricity.

[:]