RADIANT ENERGY

FACTS ON RADIANT ENERGY

• Radiant energy produces light.
• Visible light is the most familiar form of radiant energy.

EXAMPLES

• Ultraviolet light
• Radar
• Radio waves
• X-rays
• Microwaves (etc.)

Radiant energy is the energy of electromagnetic waves. The term is most commonly used in the fields of solar energy, heating and lighting.

Radiant energy is one of the mechanisms by which energy can enter or leave an open system.

In geophysics, most atmospheric gases, including the greenhouse gases, allow the Sun's short-wavelength radiant energy to pass through to the Earth's surface, heating the ground and oceans.

In modern applications involving transmission of power from one location to another, "radiant energy" is sometimes used to refer to the electromagnetic waves themselves, rather than their energy (a property of the waves).

The quantity of radiant energy may be calculated by integrating radiant flux (or power) with respect to time and, like all forms of energy, its SI unit is the joule.