Radiation from the Sun that can produce heat, generate electricity, or cause chemical reactions.
Solar energy is inexhaustible and nonpolluting, but it is not an efficient energy source, since the Earth's atmosphere absorbs or scatters over 50% of incoming solar radiation. Solar collectors collect the radiation and transfer it as heat to a carrier fluid. It can then be used for heating. Solar cell s convert solar radiation directly into electricity, by means of the photoelectric effect .