Six Fun Solar Energy Facts - Happy Earth Day from Heliocol West!

In celebration of Earth Day 2013, Heliocol West is sharing six fun solar energy facts!

Happy Earth Day from Heliocol West!

1. In one hour more sunlight falls on the earth than what is used by the entire population in one year.

2. At any given time, the Earth receives 174 petawatts of energy from the sun.  This is equivalent to 174 Trillion kilowatts and is 6,000 times our worldwide energy usage.

3. It takes about eight minutes for energy to travel from the sun to the earth.

4. The total amount of fossil fuels used by humans since the beginning of civilization is equivalent to less than 30 days of sunshine.

5. You don't need to convert your entire house to a solar electric system to save money. Solar water heaters, solar pool heaters and solar outdoor lighting all replace significant amounts of power usage using free energy from the sun.

6. If you covered 10,000 square miles of land in the American Southwest with solar panels, it would generate enough power to meet the energy needs of the entire United States.  Although this seems like a lot of land, the US has strip-mined an equivalent amount for coal (which, unlike solar energy, is not renewable).