quiz:
1. How much solar energy reaches the Earth's surface at any given moment?
2AP
ROCKER
173 terawatts
1.73 terawatts
17,300 terawatts
173,000 terawatts
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies.
The Earth receives ≈174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere
Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses.
The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet.
