While technically, solar power dates back to the introduction of the first practical solar cell in 1954, solar power has been around for a lot longer than that when you consider that the sun has effectively been powering this planet for billions of years. From the food we eat to the food everything eats, solar power is responsible—not just for life as we know it—but for Life in general.

It’s why the history of how scientists discovered the means to harness the sun’s power and energy is both so basic and so monumental. There’s something that’s very fundamental to life on Earth as we know it about powering a home, a business, a farm or a vehicle with solar power.

With solar power’s technology getting more practical, more efficient and less expensive, it’s definitely an idea and reality tailor-made for these energy-troubled times. Here are 10 facts about solar power that prove it’s not just the wave of the future; it’s the wave of Now.

1. It’s Growing
According to SEIA, 2014 was a big year for solar power. With nearly 200,000 new installations around the country, 2014 saw the total number of solar homes and businesses soar to almost 645,000. That amounts to a solar project installation every two and a half minutes.

2. It Creates Jobs
The economy and unemployment rate are getting a leg up from the solar power industry. Last year brought a hiring increase of 22% by companies working in solar power.

3. It’s Amazing
According to NASA, the sun produces an immense amount of energy. Equal to 3.8 X 1033 ergs/second or roughly 5 X 1023 horsepower, that amount of energy could melt an ice bridge one mile thick and two miles wide that joined the Earth to the Sun—in one second.

4. It’s Barely Used
Only 1% of the energy used in the United States comes from solar power. However, over 4 million average American homes are powered by that 1%.

5. It’s Getting Into Space Travel
Two small space ships, called LightSails, built by The Planetary Society were sent into space and orbited Earth earlier this year. Outfitted with solar sails that measured roughly 105′ across, they convert light into energy.

6. It’s Incentivized…For Now
The Solar Investment Tax Credit runs through the end of 2016 and allows for a 30% residential tax credit. In California, net energy metering (NEM)—which is a program where homeowners can sell energy back to the grid—is currently offered, but it will be phased out by July, 2017—possibly sooner. If you live in California and join the current NEM program before it ends, you will be grandfathered in for the next 20 years.

7. It’s Competitive
In some markets, solar power is cheaper than natural gas or coal.

8. Thomas Edison Liked It
The inventor of the light bulb believed in solar power’s future. “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

9. It’s in Education
Almost 4,000 K-12 schools throughout the United States run on solar power, and that number is growing.

10. It’s Valuable
The United States solar power industry was valued at $13.7 billion in 2014. It’s a number that’s rising.

Solar power is clean, renewable and amazingly abundant. From its ability to create jobs to the fact that Thomas Edison was a fan, solar power just makes sense.

If you’d like to find out how installing solar panels on your roof can help you drive your electric bill down to zero, contact us today for a free quote.