People have been using solar energy since ancient times. Let’s discover five super solar power facts for kids.
Renewable energy is energy from a source that won’t run out if we use it, solar power will always be available because it comes from heat and light from the sun. Unlike fossil fuels which are in limited supply and release carbon into the atmosphere, solar power is renewable. Solar power is created when the sun’s rays and heat hit the solar panels they convert it into energy. Solar panels are also known as photovoltaic panels.
In the 7th century they did not have solar panels or electricity the way we do now but they did use the power of the sun. Both Greeks and Romans used energy and heat from the sun to light fires and torches for religious ceremonies. They used mirrors to reflect and intensify the heat and light from the sun creating fire.
When space shuttles are in space they can’t get their electricity from the Earth and batteries wouldn’t last long enough for the long journeys or the amount of time the shuttle orbits. Since the 1950’s space shuttles have been using solar power instead. Solar panels used to be mounted to shuttles so they could gain solar energy while in space.
The more modern International Space Station uses a different form of solar panels. They are part of a kind of blanket which folds up while the shuttle is launched into space then unfolds so it can catch the suns rays in space. This means the space station can have as much electricity as it needs in space without plugging in or batteries.
Some people even install solar panels on their roof. Solar panels won’t always have enough energy to power your whole house so you get some energy from the regular grid. But having your own solar power reduces how much energy you have to get from fossil fuels and helps the environment. Some people only use solar panels for energy and disconnect their house from the electricity grid. This is where the term ‘off the grid’ comes from.
Albert Einstein is a very famous physicist known for how smart he was. He won a Nobel prize in 1921 for how much work he did for the study of physics. He proved that when solar energy hits metal panels it can release electrons which make energy. His research was essential to the creation of solar panels which create solar energy.
We hope you enjoyed learning more things about solar power as much as we loved teaching you about it. Now that you know how important this solar power is to our planet Earth, you can move on to learn more about our environment like: Wind Power, Geothermal Energy and Hydro Power.
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