SOLAR ENERGY NOTES

It’s believed to be the first solar car that can comfortably transport four people. “The first solar car invented was a tiny 15-inch vehicle created by William G. Cobb of General Motors. Called the Sunmobile, Cobb showcased the first solar car at the Chicago Powerama convention on August 31, 1955.” – “AutomoStory –

Solar Energy Safety Messages You would not ordinarily look directly at the Sun, because it can blind you. Similarly, use caution when concentrating light energy. WHEN EXPERIMENTING WITH SOLAR ENERGY WEAR UV PROTECTIVE SUNGLASSES!! These are not enough protection to ever look directly at the Sun, but they provide some protection in concentrated sunlight. Remember, you

Earth spins as it orbits its energy source. Because of the tilt of the daily spinning Earth, and its elliptical orbit as it spirals yearly around the Sun (following the Sun through Space, around the Galaxy), each place on the planet’s spherical surface receives differing amounts of energy throughout the day, and throughout the year. This difference

Concerns about Climate Change (a.k.a. Global Heating) arose because pollution from our combustion activities is changing the composition of the gases in our atmosphere. Some of these new and/or increased gases absorb the out-going infra-red radiation at night-side, keeping that energy in our atmosphere, from where some of it can re-emit to Earth, rather than away into

The energy density of solar radiation at Earth’s distance from the Sun (150,000,000 kilometers) averages 1361 joules per second per square meter. This is the value of what we call the “solar constant”, although though there is some variation due to Earth’s elliptical orbit. Consider that the Sun is radiating out energy in

To Tell Time Our sense of time is marked by how and where we perceive the Sun, as our tilted planet spins. Yearly our planet orbits the Sun, and, as a result of life’s reactions to the changes of received energy at any location, we perceive the Seasons. As the Sun appears to be lower or higher

SOLAR CELL TYPES There are several types of solar cells being developed…a good description is at Understand Solar, a site dedicated to educating the homeowner about solar electricity, here: Comparing Solar Panels, and the Future of Solar Research. Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells – How They Work Most solar cells are made of silicon, one of the

How the World Works “Looking at it as the spaceship that it is, there’s just one spaceship here. It’s the only one we’re going to get. What are the total known resources, and what is the total knowledge, and how do we use those total resources and knowledge for everybody on board this ship? Absolutely give