solar energy

[soh-ler en-er-jee]

noun

1. energy derived from the sun in the form of solar radiation.

solar energy

noun

1. energy obtained from solar power

solar energy

1. The radiant energy emitted by the Sun.

2. Energy derived from the Sun's radiation. Passive solar energy can be exploited through architectural design, as by positioning windows to allow sunlight to enter and help heat a space. Active solar energy involves the conversion of sunlight to electrical energy, especially in solar (photovoltaic) cells.

3. See also solar cell

solar energy

1. The energy the Earth receives from the sun, primarily as visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. (See renewable resource.)

The term solar energy often refers to processes that use this energy to generate heat or electricity for human use. (See solar cells.)

Example Sentences

Proponents of space-based data centers say they would offer better access to cheap solar energy and reduce the amount of money needed for cooling systems or batteries.

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At Corning’s solar energy plant in a rural Michigan facility, workers turn chunky polysilicon rocks into perfect wafers, the building blocks of solar panels.

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Finally, both Elon Musk, through his Starlink program, and Google have proposed putting chips in orbit in space, powered by solar energy.

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However, the report underscores that the technology to deliver big emissions cuts already exists, pointing to booming developments in wind and solar energy, much of which is occurring overseas.

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America hasn’t made them for a decade, even though solar energy accounts for the country’s largest share of new electricity generation.

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Related Words

• solar power 
• solar radiation