Solar Energy

This diagram shows solar panels on roof receiving solar energy used to heat water.

Passive Solar Heating VS. Active Solar Heating Solar energy is radiant energy from the Sun. This energy travels through space to Earth in the form of electromagnetic waves. In an hour, the Sun sends to the earth’s surface as much or more energy as people use to run factories, machines, and vehicles and to heat [...]

Ultraviolet Radiation Index

Investigations Using Solar Active Materials What are UV Detecting Beads? (1) How to use UV radiation to teach classification. (2) What do the SPF numbers for sunblock lotions mean? (3) What affect do different SPF numbers have on filtering UV radiation? Research: Ultraviolet Radiation (1) What is the difference between UVA, UVB, and UVC? For [...]

Sunblock: SPF Ratings

solar active logo

Question: What effect do SPF numbers on sunblock lotions have on their effectiveness of filtering UV radiation? Answer: You can discover this answer for yourself, but Do not use your skin to test the effectiveness of SPF numbers! Instead, use solar active materials. I have found several materials on the Solar Active website that can [...]

UV Detecting Beads

Pony beads that contain dye molecules that changes from white to a specific color when exposed to ultraviolet light are called UV Bead or photochromic beads. Ultraviolet light (also called UV light) is a type of radiation (wave energy) that is not visible to the human eye. While you cannot see UV light, this high-energy [...]