How does solar affect our climate?

There is a little controversy about climate change, but 97 percent of the world’s climate scientists believe climate change is real and that man is the leading cause. The sun is the prime mover in this universe The sun is the source of most of the energy that drives the biological and physical processes in the world around us. In the oceans and on land it fuels plant growth that forms the base of the food chain, and in the atmosphere, it warms air which makes our weather. The rate of energy coming from the sun changes slightly day to day. Over many millennia the earth-sun orbital relationship can change the geographical distribution of the sun’s energy over the earth’s surface. It has been suggested that changes in solar output might affect our climate—both directly, by changing the rate of solar heating of the earth and atmosphere, and indirectly, by changing cloud forming processes.

Scientists recognized climate change long ago

Scientists have expounded the sun-climate theory to explain the earth’s rapid warming. The evidence collected shows that the sun affects our climate over millions of years, but it is not the cause of recent warming. The rate at which energy from the sun reaches the top of earth’s atmosphere is called “total solar irradiance” (or TSI).  TSI fluctuates somewhat from day to day and week to week. In addition to these rapid, short-term fluctuations, there is an 11-year cycle in TSI measurements related to “sunspots” (a part of the sun’s surface that is temporarily cooler and darker than its neighboring regions). Two different hypotheses have been proposed to test whether solar radiation can explain climate change. 

Solar energy and pollution

Solar energy is provided free by the sun and comes in two forms; light and heat. Special technology is needed to capture this energy. Heat from the sun can be used to heat water in our homes and buildings and light from the sun can also produce electricity. Energy technologies utilizing the sun have great potential to benefit the world, and new emerging processes, like Sliver Cells, will ultimately help drive costs down. They can diversify energy supply, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, improve the quality of the air we breathe, offset greenhouse gas emissions, and stimulate economies by creating jobs in the manufacturing and installation of systems. Technology using the sun focussed in dish concentrators has been around for some time, although the technology is evolving and already replacing some fossil-fueled power requirements.

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

If you want to move into the future and join the solar revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. 

For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.