The History of Harnessing Untapped Solar Power

Fact-focused newsletter 1440 shone a light on the long history around the use of solar energy to provide warmth and to grow food in ancient times and how the advent of solar panels made generation more available to the public. Despite this availability, however, they posit why the immense power of the sun still remains largely unharnessed and untapped.

In just 90 minutes, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to power the entire world for a year. Yet, in 2023, solar energy made up only 5% of the electricity generated in the United States. With solar panels on rooftops and fields around the globe, why are we only using a small fraction of the sun’s vast energy potential?