A few interesting solar energy and industry facts.
Solar Energy Facts
- The amount of solar energy that hits Earth in one hour has the potential to supply the whole planet with power for an entire year!
- Solar energy is used across the globe every day. Trees and plants need
sunlight for photosynthesis. Humans need sunlight to produce Vitamin D. Rain is created through evaporation brought about by the sun’s rays.
Photovoltaic solar (solar panels) is simply a new way to harness this energy.
- There are two main ways to capture solar energy:
passive and active.
- Passive solar doesn’t use any mechanical devices, and includes greenhouses, sunrooms and thermal solar panels.
A building’s design and orientation help capture heat from the sun and dissipates it slowly through the designated area. - Active solar involves transforming sunlight into electricity, as photovoltaic solar panels do.
- Solar thermal is a method of passive solar that uses the sun’s heat to warm liquids. It can be small panels on a home’s roof that preheats water before it goes to the water heater or even large power plants where steam is produced which then powers a generator to produce electricity.
- Solar cells transform the sun’s energy into electricity.
- As a safety precaution, all solar hardware on roofs, including solar panels, aluminium rails, microinverters, and conduits, are grounded to protect against lightening.
Solar Industry Facts
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South Africa is the first country in Africa to achieve 1 GW of solar PV energy.
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South Africa has a sunny climate, with an average of 2,500 hours of sunshine per year.
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The average solar-radiation level ranges between 4.5 and 6.5kWh/m2 per day.
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In 2019, solar energy had the highest percentage of the total renewable energy capacity in South Africa, with approximately 49.6 percent.
