By Brian Garruto, Eric Prescott, Coulton Manning

 Solar energy is radiation from the sun

 Sun goes through a process called fusion, This happens when 4 hydrogen atoms merge together to form 1 helium atom  It travels 186,000 miles per second or the speed of light  One second of the suns energy is more than enough to power all humans energy needs forever

 The first solar cell was invented in 1839 by Edmond Bequerl  In 1954 Bell laboratories created the first phototalic (PV cell)  In 2005 solar cell efficiency improved by 40%

 All locations receive solar energy  Locations near the equator such as Australia, South America, and Southern Africa has the more solar energy than most locations

 The most popular material for solar cells is silicon  PV cells are the most used cell for solar cars and toys  Solar cells focus sunlight on a metal tube filled with water the water turns to steam then spines the turbines and the turbines power the generator

 Solar energy doesn’t cause pollution  It is unlimited and it can’t be controlled by any nation.  The amount of solar energy that hits the Earth in one day is enough energy to meet humans energy needs for a year  Silicon is common for solar cells and it’s the second most common substance on the Earths surface

 Solar cells can only convert about 40% of the suns energy into electricity  It is hard to harness solar energy because it spreads out over all of earths surface  In 2003 only 0.07% of the electricity made was from solar energy  Storing solar energy is expensive, the batteries take up a lot of space and it is hard to maintain

 Many scientist are trying to make a solar cell called Bucky balls, Bucky balls are 5% efficient that is the best yet  Peel-a-stick can be put on any apparel to charge portable game systems, cell phones, and laptops  Cloud gel can be put in windows because it has a gel like substance, it lets sunlight into a room but not heat