Solar energy, electromagnetic radiation from the sun, measured by the radiant energy it carries and distributes into environments exposed to it, is typically experienced by humans as sunlight.

And this sunlight is a primary source of power for essentially everything on the planet, with the exception of life and processes, located deep underground or underwater, which often have other energetic sources,

like heat from geothermal vents.

Beyond those deep earth exceptions, though, everything from the wind to the water cycle,

to all life any of us are likely to encounter, are fundamentally solar-powered,

because that energy zapped over to us across space in the form of

sunlight stimulates the atmospheric processes and cellular mechanisms that allow us to function

and keeps our atmospheric activities moving. This sun-derived energy is naturally distributed

and accumulated by physical things, like how rocks and water hold heat,

keeping creatures living in rocky and oceanic environments at a relatively stable temperature,

even when the air around them cools down at night or seasonally.

Likewise, life forms at all scales tend to have abilities, internal or external, that allow them to make use of the fruits of this energetic distribution process,

ranging from the ability to soak up the sun and convert it into energy, to the ability to eat and digest other creatures that perform such conversion,

and then in turn convert that energy-packed

material into their own energy storage medium for later so as carbohydrates

fats and so on active use of solar energy in contrast is a relatively recent

thing though arguably the early versions of solar harvesting

were just upgraded, more intentional versions of what's already been happening in nature all this time.

Early solar-powered structures took the shape of well-placed pools and consciously constructed buildings

that would soak up heat from the sun at the appropriate time of day or time of year,

and that use then resulted in a pleasant bathing or living experience for those who used

said pools or lived in said houses. Solar heat has also long been used to cook food, in some

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