| Solar Energy Fact Sheets
Informative Fact Sheets
about Solar Energy
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Purpose
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has created a series of 10 fact
sheets dealing with a variety of topics. The fact sheets provide interesting
snippets about Solar energy use, demonstrating how successful and pervasive
solar is in our modern global society.
What is solar energy?
Very often there is confusion about the various methods used to harness the
sun’s abundant and clean energy. Energy from the sun can be categorized in two
ways: (1) in the form of heat (or thermal energy), and (2) in the form of light
energy.
Solar thermal technologies use the suns heat energy to heat substances (such
as water or air) for applications such as space heating, pool heating and water
heating for homes and businesses. There are a variety of products on the market
that utilize thermal energy. Often the products used for this application are
called solar thermal collectors and can be mounted on the roof of a building
or in some other sunny location. The suns heat can also be used to produce
electricity on a large utility-scale by converting the sun’s heat energy into
mechanical energy.
Photovoltaics (PV) is a technology often confused with solar thermal and is
in fact what many people mean when they refer to solar energy. Photovoltaics
(photo=light, voltaics=electricity) is a semiconductor-based technology (similar
to the microchip) which converts light energy directly into an electric current
that can either be used immediately or stored, such as in a battery, for later
use. PV panels/modules are very versatile and can be mounted in a variety of
sizes and applications; e.g. on the roof or awning of a building, on roadside
emergency phones or as very large arrays consisting of multiple panels/modules.
Currently they are being integrated into building materials (such as PV shingles,
which replace conventional roofing shingles).
Solar Taking Care of Business
How solar is helping businesses save $$$$$.
Clean & Healthy Energy
The correlation between health and energy, solar’s positive impact on human
health and the environment.
Using Sunshine To Heat And Power Our Homes
Solar solutions for residential applications
Solar Going International
Facts about the burgeoning international solar market.
Rapidly Growing Solar Markets
Facts that illustrate the rate of growth in the solar market
PV: Lighting Up The World
Facts about the rapidly expanding PV market
Solar In The Utility Service Industry
Facts about solar in the utility market
Solar Jobs for Today & Tomorrow
Facts about job creation in the solar industry
Solar Thermal Pool and Water Heating: Warming
Our Lives With Sun-Power
Facts about solar thermal water heating
Solar Thermal Electric: Making Electricity
From the Sun’s Heat
Facts about the solar thermal electric industry
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