Solar energy is the radiation from the Sun capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity. The total amount of solar energy received on Earth is vastly more than the world's current and anticipated energy requirements. If suitably harnessed, solar energy has the potential to satisfy all future energy needs.

The most common devices used to collect solar energy and convert it to thermal energy are flat-plate collectors. Another method of thermal energy conversion is found in solar ponds, which are bodies of salt water designed to collect and store solar energy. Solar radiation may also be converted directly into electricity by solar cells, or photovoltaic cells, or harnessed to cook food in specially designed solar ovens, which typically concentrate sunlight from over a wide area to a central point.

Solar energy is commonly used for solar water heaters and house heating. The heat from solar ponds enables the production of chemicals, food, textiles, warm greenhouses, swimming pools, and livestock buildings. Cooking and providing a power source for electronic devices can also be achieved by using solar energy.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) uses electronic devices, also called solar cells, to convert sunlight directly into electricity. It is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies and is playing an increasingly important role in the global energy transformation. The total installed capacity of solar PV reached 710 GW globally at the end of 2020. About 125 GW of new solar PV capacity was added in 2020, the largest capacity addition of any renewable energy source.

A solar battery is a device that you can add to your solar power system to store the excess electricity generated by your solar panels.

The point of a solar battery is to help you use more of the solar energy you’re creating. If you don't have battery storage, any excess electricity from solar power goes to the grid, which means you're generating power and providing it to other people without taking full advantage of the electricity your panels create first.

You can then use that stored energy to power your home at times when your solar panels don't generate enough electricity, including nights, cloudy days, and during power outages.