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Quick and interesting facts related to solar energy.  For more terms and explanations, consult our solar glossary. One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. One kilowatt-hour (kWh) equals the amount of electricity needed to burn a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours. A sunny location (like Los Angeles, California, US) receives an average of 5.5 hours of sunlight per day each year. A cloudy location (like Hamburg, Germany) receives 2.5 hours per day of sunlight each year. A 1 kilowatt peak solar system generates around 1,600 kilowatt hours per year in a sunny climate and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in a cloudy climate. A solar energy system can provide electricity 24 hours a day when the solar electric modules are combined with batteries in one integrated energy system. Solar modules produce electricity even on cloudy days, usually around 10-20% of the amount produced on sunny days. The typical components of a solar home system include the solar module, an inverter, a battery, a charge controller (sometimes known as a regulator), wiring, and support structure. A typical silicon cell solar module will have a life in excess of 20 years Monthly average residential consumption of electricity in the US in 2008 was 920 kilowatt hours. (Source: US DOE) Monthly average residential electricity bill in the US in 2008 was $103.67. (Source: US DOE)  

One kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. One kilowatt-hour (kWh) equals the amount of electricity needed to burn a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours. A sunny location (like Los Angeles, California, US) receives an average of 5.5 hours of sunlight per day each year. A cloudy location (like Hamburg, Germany) receives 2.5 hours per day of sunlight each year. A 1 kilowatt peak solar system generates around 1,600 kilowatt hours per year in a sunny climate and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in a cloudy climate. A solar energy system can provide electricity 24 hours a day when the solar electric modules are combined with batteries in one integrated energy system. Solar modules produce electricity even on cloudy days, usually around 10-20% of the amount produced on sunny days. The typical components of a solar home system include the solar module, an inverter, a battery, a charge controller (sometimes known as a regulator), wiring, and support structure. A typical silicon cell solar module will have a life in excess of 20 years Monthly average residential consumption of electricity in the US in 2008 was 920 kilowatt hours. (Source: US DOE) Monthly average residential electricity bill in the US in 2008 was $103.67. (Source: US DOE)

Geothermal energy does not produce any pollution, and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect.

No fuel is needed.

Because waves are erratic, the amount of energy a wave generator can produce is unpredictable and, therefore, cannot be used as a sole reliable energy source.

accidental hydraulic fluid leaks can cause a major environmental problem.

A collision could cause a hydraulic spill or leak and become an environmental hazard.

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.[1] Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used. Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a constant source of fuel and oxygen to run, but they can produce electricity continually for as long as these inputs are supplied

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent

Geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years in some countries for cooking and heating. It is simply power derived from the Earth's internal heat.This thermal energy is contained in the rock and fluids beneath Earth's crust. It can be found from shallow ground to several miles below the surface, and even farther down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma.These underground reservoirs of steam and hot water can be tapped to generate electricity or to heat and cool buildings directly.A geothermal heat pump system can take advantage of the constant temperature of the upper ten feet (three meters) of the Earth's surface to heat a home in the winter, while extracting heat from the building and transferring it back to the relatively cooler ground in the summer

There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash, and binary. Dry steam, the oldest geothermal technology, takes steam out of fractures in the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine. Flash plants pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler, low-pressure water. The steam that results from this process is used to drive the turbine. In binary plants, the hot water is passed by a secondary fluid with a much lower boiling point than water. This causes the secondary fluid to turn to vapor, which then drives a turbine. Most geothermal power plants in the future will be binary plants.

It can be extracted without burning a fossil fuel such as coal, gas, or oil. Geothermal fields produce only about one-sixth of the carbon dioxide that a relatively clean natural-gas-fueled power plant produces.

One of the most important is that wind power is the least expensive of all other forms of alternative energy.  Wind turbines generate electricity at around 5 cents per kWh (Kilowatt Hour), which is comparable to the new coal and/or oil burning power plants.  The costs are projected to decline even more as technology improves, and this is very important because most of the cost with wind power is in manufacturing.  Once the wind turbines are in place there is little cost to maintain and wind power is free.

Theoretical global ocean energy resource[2] Capacity (GW) Annual gen. (TW·h) Form 5,000 50,000 Marine current power[3] 20 2,000 Osmotic power 1,000 10,000 Ocean thermal energy 90 800 Tidal energy 1,000—9,000 8,000—80,000 Wave energy