Solar+Power

**//Background Information//**

Solar power is an environmentally friendly alternative to some other power-generating methods. This is because the sun's energy is renewable, which means we will never run out of it. And solar power production does not create significant air, water, or land pollution ([|TVA]).

Solar energy just means energy (light or heat) that comes from the sun. There are as many different ways to use solar energy as you have ideas in your head. What gets you hot lying on the beach on a summer day? Solar energy. What gets your car hot when it's parked in the sun with the windows closed? Solar energy. What makes your solar calculator go? Solar energy. What makes the giant solar panels on satellites work? Solar energy ([|Solar Energy International]).

(really called "photovoltaic", "PV" or "photoelectric" cells) convert light directly into electricity. || ||
 * **Solar Cells**

This was originally developed in order to provide electricity for satellites, but these days many of us own calculators powered by solar cells. ([|Energy Resource]) ||
 * In a sunny climate, you can get enough power to run a 100W light bulb from just one square metre of solar panel.

**//Useful Solar Websites//** [|Ingenero]

**//Lesson Idea Websites//** [|Watts on Schools] [|US Department of Energy]