Solar energy history is an interesting one. Man has always known how to make good use of the sun by pointing houses in the direction of the sun in order that they can take advantage of the warmth and light generated. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that people started trying to harness the suns energy. They managed to find ways of using the suns energy to produce steam. However, as the world became more industrialized, they wanted quicker ways of being able to find energy and fossil fuels seemed to be the obvious answer as there was no consideration taken for the fact that these energy sources might run out.

The equipment was also expensive and so this was rather off putting for people too. Now that fossil fuels are obviously running out, we are looking for new ways to generate the power that we need. Renewable resources seem to be the most practical choices and that is part of the reason why solar technology is again becoming popular.

The fact that we now know about the damage that fossil fuels are doing to the environment and that solar power does no damage to the environment, is a further positive factor for the development of solar power.

Many scientists have been working on ways to best use the energy from the sun and unfortunately have not revisited much of the work done back in the days of the industrial revolution. This means that much of the work has to be done again, and time and energy has been wasted. Also, like in the times of the industrial revolution, the equipment is expensive and so is not considered to be a good option for many people. If people took the time to calculate how much money they could save in the long term and were educated better about the benefits of using a fossil fuel alternative then they might be more likely to use it. Like many things, it will probably take a long time to take off, and then will increase at a rapid rate once it becomes fashionable.

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Quick Tip #1

Solar energy is best for countries that get a lot of sunlight. It can be a great source of electricity and help add to the current supply, providing a cheaper and renewable source that causes no pollution.

Quick Tip #2

In India it is possible for the country to be able to produce more energy from the sun than they would ever use. This is because they receive a huge amount of sunlight and their population is not massively in demand of electricity.