July 2, 2026

You’re staring at a solar panel spec sheet, or maybe a homework problem, and there it is — three terms that all seem to mean “sunlight,” used interchangeably by three different sources. Solar radiation. Irradiance. Insolation. If you’ve come away thinking they’re basically synonyms with fancier syllables, you’re not alone. Most explanations online don’t actually […]

Somewhere around 2,200 years ago, a Greek mathematician allegedly used a set of curved mirrors to set enemy ships on fire. That mathematician was Archimedes, and whether or not the story is completely true, it’s a strangely fitting place to start a conversation about solar energy — because people have been trying to bend sunlight