Until recently, going solar was a yuppie or hippie thing to do. We looked oddly at those who put solar energy panels on their house and companies who switched to all solar often made the news as an oddity. However, solar energy has been around since the early 1800s—that’s right, long before the light bulb or electric toaster. Here are four cool facts about Orange solar energy and solar power in general, that many don’t know.

1. Available for Everybody
You don’t need to be a billionaire or large company or corporation to go solar. Many imagine needing an acre or more of solar panels to simply power their homes. While there are solar parks and solar fields, these generally belong to power companies that produce electricity using solar panels. For the average home, the roof is more-than-ample free space to produce power for average everyday use.