RENEWABLE ENERGY 10 Solar power facts – You might be surprised

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Clean, cheap, and abundant, solar power could be the answer to the world’s energy crisis. The solar industry is growing at an astonishing rate as technology provides us with more efficient ways of generating solar power. In this article, we’ve shed light on 10 surprising facts about solar power

The Sun is the largest object in our Solar System, containing about 99.86 % of its total mass. Made up of a maelstrom of hydrogen and helium, the Sun’s surface has a temperature of about 5,500 °C, while its core reaches roughly 15 million °C. No youngster, the Sun is approximately 4.5 billion years old, about 60 million years older than the Earth.

From a cosmic viewpoint, our Sun is actually a fairly unremarkable dwarf star. Although it’s about 100 times the size of the Earth, the Sun is far from being the biggest or brightest ball on the block. The Orion's red supergiant Betelgeuse is about 764 times its size. And at twice the size of Betelgeuse, the red hypergiant star UY Scuti dominates as one of the largest stars in the Milky Way.

But for all the Earth’s inhabitants, our somewhat average-sized Sun is the most important star in our little corner of the universe. Without the Sun, the Earth would be a dark and cold planet, devoid of life, aimlessly drifting through space.

The Sun has been central to human life and culture for millennia. Ancient civilisations tracked the Sun’s movement across the sky to mark days, seasons, and years. The Sun’s cycles guided the planting and harvesting of crops. Sailors and travellers used the Sun for navigation and direction. We even worshipped the Sun as an all-powerful deity. The Egyptians revered the Sun as the god Ra, the Greeks as Helios, the Mesopotamians as Shamash, and the Incan peoples venerated the Sun as the deity Inti.

The Sun has enabled life on Earth to thrive. Now, solar power is shaping the next chapter of human progress and planetary health. Solar power is increasingly playing a major role in providing us with a viable alternative to fossil fuels and helping to minimise the impact of climate change.

So, how much do you really know about solar power? The following facts might surprise you!

Fact One: Humans have been harnessing the power of the sun for centuries

Think solar power is a relatively new idea? Think again. We’ve been making good use of the power of the Sun for centuries.

The first documented account of humans using the Sun’s rays for more than getting a tan was about 2,725 years ago. The Nimrud lens was found in 1850 at the Assyrian palace of Nimrud (now modern-day Iraq). Although its exact function remains the subject of scholarly debate, it is believed to have been used as a magnifying glass or burning glass to direct sunlight to start fires.

The ancient scribe Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) wrote about using glass balls filled with water to concentrate sunlight and ignite materials. Aristophanes also referred to the use of burning lenses in his play The Clouds, way back in 424 BC.

Fact Two: Solar panels have been around longer than you might think

Solar panels are often thought of as a recent invention. However, the history of solar panels dates back quite a way.

Many scholars credit the invention of solar panels to Edmond Becquerel, a French scientist who discovered the photovoltaic effect in the late 1850s. Becquerel immersed two metal electrodes in a conductive solution and exposed them to sunlight. He found that the light generated a small electric current between the electrodes.

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Fast forward to Britain in 1873. Here, we’ll find the inventions of an electrical engineer named Willoughby Smith. Smith discovered the photoconductive properties of selenium, which was to become a pretty big deal. In 1883, the American inventor Charles Fritts was actually able to produce selenium wafer solar cells.

It wasn’t until 1954 that the silicon photovoltaic solar cell was developed. This landmark invention was the work of three American scientists at Bell Labs: Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller, and Gerald Pearson. The world’s first silicon solar cell could generate power for hours. Which was impressive at the time, but is still less than a quarter of what a modern solar cell is capable of.

Fact Three: One hour of sunlight could power the globe for a year

On average, the Sun continuously sends us around 173,000 terawatts of solar energy. That’s more than 10,000 times the world's total energy consumption. Every hour of every day, the Sun blasts Earth with 430 quintillion Joules of energy. To put that into perspective, the average global energy use for a year is around 410 quintillion Joules.

Fact Four: Solar could provide us with all the energy we need

Unfortunately, only a tiny fraction of the Sun’s immense energy output can realistically be captured and converted into usable electricity. There are a few reasons why we can’t soak up all of those amazing rays.

Firstly, only about half the Earth’s surface is illuminated at any time. And solar panels can’t convert all sunlight into electricity. The best commercial solar panels have efficiencies of 15 to 23 %. Even advanced lab cells top out around 50 % under ideal conditions. Then there’s the fact that capturing massive amounts of solar energy requires huge areas of land.

But if we did deploy millions of solar panels, could we power the globe on solar alone? Yes, we could. Theoretically, at least. Covering 1.2 % of the Sahara Desert with solar panels would provide enough energy for the entire world. Installing solar panels on half of the world’s rooftops would also bring in enough energy to keep the lights on for everyone, everywhere, all the time.

Fact Five: Solar power produces minimal greenhouse gases

Let’s say we did manage to roll out solar cells on a worldwide scale. What would the impact on global warming be? Right now, the electricity sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Replacing coal, oil, and natural gas with solar could reduce CO₂ emissions by 13 gigatons per year. Or, about the same as the current annual global emissions from electricity production.

While the process of installing all these panels would generate CO₂, solar panels themselves are quite environmentally friendly. Photovoltaic solar panels and concentrated solar power (CSP) systems produce essentially no CO₂ or other GHGs while generating electricity. The lifecycle emissions for solar PV are estimated to be 20 to 60 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Coal averages about 820 g of CO₂ per kWh, and natural gas emits 490 g of CO₂ per kWh.

Even other renewables, such as wind, hydropower, and geothermal, can’t measure up to solar. Wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy can all negatively impact ecosystems or are limited to specific sites. Only solar is truly abundant, scalable, adaptable, and environmentally friendly.

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Fact Six: Solar panels have a surprisingly long lifespan

Durability is one of the major environmental benefits of solar panels. Unlike other renewable energy infrastructure, solar panels can last for a remarkably long time.

Back in the 1800s, when the first discoveries that led to solar panels were made, the average lifespan of a human being was around 40 years. The average lifespan of a modern photovoltaic solar panel is between 30 to 35 years, and in some cases even longer.

As well as almost reaching the median age of the people who invented them, solar panels can also outlast wind turbines by about a decade.

Fact Seven: There are some environmental downsides to solar power

Despite all the wonderful green benefits, solar energy is not without its downsides. There are considerable environmental costs when it comes to solar panels.

To manufacture a solar panel, you need silicon, silver, and lithium. Mining these materials results in considerable amounts of greenhouse gases, land damage, soil erosion, and water pollution. Manufacturing solar panels also requires significant amounts of electricity, which is often derived from fossil fuels. On average, it takes around three years for a solar panel to offset the environmental costs of its production.

Solar panels also contain harmful chemicals such as cadmium and lead. If a solar panel isn’t responsibly recycled at the end of life, it can turn into hazardous waste. And the expansion of the industry is increasing the amount of waste. One study from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimated that discarded solar panels could account for over 78 million tonnes of global waste by 2050.

Then there is the issue of space. Solar farms require vast tracts of land. Just one solar farm can displace people and disrupt ecosystems by occupying valuable agricultural land or taking over ecologically sensitive areas.

Fact Eight: Solar is the fastest-growing energy industry in history

Even with these drawbacks, solar energy is still better than the alternatives. And it’s also becoming hugely popular. Solar power is widely recognised as the fastest-growing energy sector in history.

Global solar photovoltaic capacity increased by a record 147 gigawatts in 2023, up 74 % from 2022. In 2024, the world produced 2,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar power, about 53 % of the global increase in electricity generation. Worldwide solar installations are predicted to rise to 914 gigawatts in 2030, more than 57 % above the current output.

The solar energy market was valued at US$ 273 billion in 2024 and is predicted to hit over US$ 436 billion by 2032. The industry is expected to grow at a rate of 10.25 % over the next decade. In simple terms, this means the solar industry will roughly double in size every seven years.

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Fact Nine: Solar energy costs have dropped by 99 %

Part of the reason for the massive boom in the solar energy industry is how affordable the technology has become. Algeria, for instance, has recently been able to increase its solar panel imports by 6300 %.

Solar energy has experienced a dramatic decrease in price over the last fifty years. In 1977, the average cost of solar panels was approximately US$ 76.67 per watt. By 2008, the price was around US$ 4 per watt, a reduction of almost 95 %.

Just a little over fifteen years ago, the average price for a solar panel was 12 times what it is today. In 2025, a normal solar panel will produce energy at a cost of around US$ 0.13 per watt. Or about 589 times cheaper than it cost in 1977.

Fact Ten: China is the world leader in solar power – for now

According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), only ten countries accounted for 84 % of new solar PV installations globally in 2023. When it comes to who is making the biggest investments in solar power and who is generating the most power, China stands as the world leader.

China was responsible for over half of global PV installations in 2024, installing an estimated 357.3 GW of new solar capacity. China holds about 50 % of global cumulative solar power capacity, the largest share of any country. Its output is expected to exceed one terawatt by mid-2025.

These figures aren’t surprising. In 2024, China led the world in renewable energy investment, with over US$ 290 billion deployed in clean technologies. China is also home to two of the world’s largest solar farms. The Xinjiang solar farm covers 200,000 acres and produces approximately 6.09 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The Golmud Solar Park in Qinghai Province is also a monster. Covering 640 acres with a 2.8-gigawatt capacity. China plans to expand this to a massive 16 gigawatts within the next decade.

Other countries are hot on China's heels in the race to become a solar power superpower. The United States remains a major contender. In 2024, the US added almost 50 gigawatts of new solar PV capacity.

India also ramped up its solar energy industry, nearly tripling its solar PV installations in 2024 to approximately 30 gigawatts. India also boasts the Bhadla solar park, the world’s second-largest solar farm covering over 14,000 acres.

Third place is jointly held by Brazil and Germany. Both countries are investing heavily in the solar energy sector and added over 17 gigawatts of solar to their energy grid in 2024. In relative terms, that matches the pace of China’s early expansions of solar power.

Together, the US, India, Germany, and Brazil now represent approximately 75 % of global solar capacity growth.

Unlike other global struggles for dominance, the race to be the world leader in solar power has no real losers. Accelerating the transition to clean energy will allow us to move away from fossil fuels and towards a more sustainable, equitable, and brighter future.

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