Earth receives 174 petawatts of incoming solar radiation (insolation) in the upper atmosphere at any given time. When she meets the atmosphere, 6 percent of the sunlight is reflected and 16 percent is absorbed. Average weather (clouds of dust, pollutants) further reduce the sunlight travel through the atmosphere by 20 percent, due to reflection and 3 percent through absorption. These weather conditions not only reduce the amount of energy reaching the Earth surface, but also to diffuse some 20 percent of the light received and filter portions of their spectrum. After passing through the atmosphere, about half of the sunshine is visible in the electromagnetic spectrum to the other half primarily in the infrared spectrum (a small part is ultraviolet radiation).

The absorption of solar energy by convection air (heat sensitive transport) and evaporation and condensation of water vapor (latent heat transport) affects the winds and the water cycle. Upon reaching the surface, the sunlight is absorbed by the oceans, land masses and plants. The energy captured in the oceans drives the thermohaline cycle. As such, solar energy is responsible for temperature-driven ocean currents as the thermohaline cycle and wind-driven currents like the Gulf. The energy absorbed by the earth, together with the recycled by the greenhouse effect, heat the surface to an average temperature of about 14 ° C. A small amount of solar energy captured by plants and other phototrophic is converted into chemical energy through photosynthesis. All the food we eat, we have built with wood and fossil fuels we use are products of photosynthesis. The flow of trade and solar energy for the environment are enormous in comparison with the human energy needs.