Solar energy refers to the utilisation of the energy from sun rays to offer

electricity, to heat water and to heat or cool homes or businesses.solar energy is

a sustainable resource and it is clean and renewable. Solar energy, radiant light
and heat from the sun, is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies
such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, solar
architecture and artificial photosynthesis.
Solar Energy Facts
Heat from the sun can be captured and used as a form of solar energy. In order
for this process to take place, some form of solar technology must be used.
There are two types of solar technology: passive and active solar. These types
of solar technologies differ in the way in which solar energy is captured.
Interesting Solar Energy Facts:
Solar energy is taken from the light from the Sun's rays that hit the
Earth.
Solar energy can be used to make electricity and other forms of energy.
Thermal energy from the sun was first used by British astronomer John
Herschel as he used a thermal box to cook food.
In order to heat objects such as swimming pools, solar energy is
converted into thermal energy.
Solar cells can directly use sunlight to generate electricity.
Solar energy is a beneficial source of energy because its generation does
not affect the environment and nor add to pollution.
Solar energy can sometimes be difficult because the amount of sunlight
an area receives varies.
Solar energy is the most plentiful form of energy found on Earth because
it is found anywhere the Sun hits.

 Although solar energy is abundant, it is difficult and expensive to

transform into a usable form.
There is enough solar energy generated by the Sun to fulfill Earth's
electrical needs without the use of other forms of energy.
The world's largest solar energy power plant is located in the United
States in the state of California.
Passive solar energy does not require any machinery because solar energy
is used directly.
With active solar energy, a device is needed that collects solar energy so
that it may be pumped into an area.
Since the 1950s, the space shuttle has used solar energy to power its space
craft.

It takes less than 10 minutes for the light from the Sun to reach Earth.
A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that
converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect.
The photovoltaic effect is the creation of voltage or electric current in a
material upon exposure to lightIt is a form of photoelectric cell (in that its
electrical characteristicse.g. current, voltage, or resistancevary when light
is incident upon it) which, when exposed to light, can generate and support an
electric current without being attached to any external voltage source, but do
require an external load for power consumption.