Solar Panels 101

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that is produced by the sun's rays. Solar energy is capable of sustaining life on earth for all plants, animals and people. The earth receives radiant energy from the sun in the form of electromagnetic waves, which the sun continually emits into space. This energy takes on a variety of forms, ranging from direct sunlight that plants use through photosynthesis to grow, to heated air that causes wind, to evaporation of the oceans that falls back as rain and evolves into rivers. This energy can be tapped indirectly as wind, biomass and hydroelectric power, and directly as solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic).