Solar Facts:

1. Is it the sun's heat or the sun's light that is used in photovolatic technology?

It is often the sun's LIGHT energy that reacts with the silicon. Direct current electricity is produced when photons or light energy strikes silicon atoms in a solar cell, causing some of their outermost electrons to jump free. These free electrons flow into the wires attached to the solar cell and create a direct current.

2. How far away is the sun?

93 million miles (8 1/2 light-minutes) from earth.

3. How old is the sun?

4 to 5 billion years old.

4. How big is the sun?

864950 miles in diameter or 109 times the earth's diameter

5. What temperature is the sun?

10,000 degrees Farenheit at its surface, 18 million degrees Farenheit at center.

6. Why exactly does the sun radiate energy in the first place?

Hydrogen atoms collide with each other and form helium billions of times each second creating huge amounts of energy - every second, 4.7 million tons of hydrogen become energy!

7. Where can I find more information?

More facts and links about photovoltaics in Hawaii can be found at:
http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/pv_hi.html