From Guest Blogger Adam Stevens: Shedding a Little Light — Five Interesting Facts You Didn't Know About Solar Power

Most people know what solar power is. But there’s still plenty that we don’t know about the science. Some of the facts and the myths about solar energy get mixed up, which is why we’re going to share 5 definite facts to get excited about…..

1. Solar Panels still work in cold and snowy environments.

They are obviously very effective in sunny parts of the world but you might be surprised to learn they still produce a great amount of energy in the snow. The panels are unaffected by the cold and take in the reflected photons from a reflective, snowy landscape.

2. One of the most dependable sources of energy available made solar power a must for NASA.

The Vanguard 1, launched in the 1960s by NASA, was the first satellite powered by solar cells in that era. After 50 years in space the satellite is still orbiting and is now the oldest man-made satellite in orbit with over six billion miles travelled on sun power!

3. The largest solar power plant in the world is in the Mojave Desert in California.

It covers approximately 1,000 acres and is home to nine different solar power plants built in the 1980s. Solar power plants such as this can be built in only a few years due to them using mainly readily available materials when being built. And they do work. A single Air Force base in Nevada is saving approximately $83,000 a month since it switched from using traditional energy sources to solar energy produced on site.

4. Horace de Saussure, a Swiss scientist, invented the world’s first solar energy collector, or ‘hot box’ in 1767.

This device was much like a greenhouse in that it harnessed the power of the sun to heat water, cook fruit and heat a room. The highest temperature achieved by de Saussure was 189.5*F after using his glass boxes to heat up for several hours. A huge step towards modern solar energy farming!

5. Moths helped design the latest solar panels.

Biologists examined the moths eyes and how they do not reflect light but actually help them to navigate according to the position of the moon. This has been replicated in the modern solar panel to improve the efficiency of how they absorb photons. The photons bouncing off a reflective surface do not carry any energy into the surface which leads to less energy being produced by the solar panel.

So there you go; five of the most interesting facts about solar panels you can impress friends and family with. Do you have any other cool facts about solar panels that we didn’t include in this post? If so, we’d love to hear from you, just simply comment below with your facts. We’ll be on the lookout for your comments.

Adam Stevens is a copywriter and green enthusiast writing for Enviko, award-winning renewable energy specialists.