Is Solar Energy Renewable

Facts about solar energy and it's renewability.

Is Solar Energy Renewable? Of all of the clean energy technologies, solar energy is the most abundant type of renewable energy available on the planet.

Renewable, clean energy technology, like solar energy will help secure the future of the earth.


happy sun

Just asking the question "Is solar energy renewable" is a ray of hope for the planet.

The term "renewable energy" refers to how quickly a source is able to replace the energy once it has been consumed.

A tree, for instance is renewable but in most cases it will take in excess of 30 years to replace it once it's been used (When it's burned for firewood or used as disposable paper products that are not recycled).

Solar energy is produced by the sun and is not only renewable, it is rapidly renewable, meaning that there is so much solar power available that we can't come close to using it up. Energy from the sun is capable of powering EVERY electrical outlet on the planet without, in any way, compromising it's ability to provide more energy the next day... and the day after that. Spilling hundreds of times more energy on the planet every day than we could possibly use, the sun outshines every other renewable resource available.

Now that's renewable!

Although solar energy is related to the sun, there are technologies available to collect spectrums of light that occur when the sun isn't shining, increasing the possibilites for and reducing the cost of, this type of renewable energy. Collecting the infrared spectrum of light with thin film photovoltaic technology has opened up the possibility of collecting light that occurs in the very early morning and very late evening hours, times when photovoltaic panels are unable to detect any rays or make any energy.

Batteries store excess energy throughout the day to be used at night making solar energy available 24 hours per day. It's the same idea as solar garden lights. They store the energy in batteries to be used when the sun goes down.


Is solar energy renewable? Here's how renewable it is:

  • In approximately 1 hour the sunlight that strikes the earth provides enough energy to power the entire globe for a year.
  • 100 square miles of photovoltaic panels, in the USA's South West area could potentially meet the energy needs of the continental US.
  • Here's a great site that's calculating how much solar energy is falling on the earth right now. Scroll down to the Energy heading.



So the answer to the question "Is solar energy renewable?" is a resounding YES! Solar is a type of renewable energy that will be receiving a lot of attention as sources of crude oil dry up.




Visitors to our Is Solar Energy Renewable page may also be interested in the following pages

Renewable Energy Solar Energy History
How Solar Power Works
Cost of Solar Energy
Facts About Solar Energy



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