2. Solar has Incredible Potential
If we add the amount of solar energy that is absorbed by the
Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans every year, we end up with
approximately 3,850,000 EJ (exajoules or 10^18 joules).
2.7 million earthquakes of the same size as the Tohoku
earthquake in Japan (2011
40 000 times the total energy consumption in the United States
8 000 times the total consumption in the whole world.
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3. Is Solar Power Green?
• Let me get one thing clear: Solar power is
certainly greener than conventional ways of
harnessing energy sources such as fossil fuels
and coal.
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4. Solar Powered Aircrafts!
• Yes, it’s true. NASA has been
working on a series of solar
powered unmanned aircraft
since the 1980’s. Pathfinder,
Pathfinder Plus and Helios
Prototype, is the result of
NASA’s efforts to use solar
power for long duration high
altitude flights.
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5. Solar Energy is Nuclear Fusion
• Nuclear power is a term
we use to describe ways
to harness energy
through nuclear fission
and fusion processes.
Conventional nuclear
reactors rely on the
fission of uranium atoms
to produce heat, which we
use to generate electricity.
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6. The Sun is Dying
• You probably know that solar energy is considered a
renewable energy source. The reason for this is that the
electromagnetic radiation emitted from the Sun (also known
as sunlight) will be around for us to harness, and will not
disappear anytime soon:
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