Does solar energy last long

solar energy is why we have life on this planet.

However, you want to know about man capturing the energy, and in that respect, we have been rather bad at it. We can capture it with a window, that works pretty good, we get light and heat.

We also have several types of solar cells. (Some are an environmental disaster to make, but we assume we can get more out of them in the long haul).

With both types of cells, we capture the energy and store it in batteries.

It is actually more efficient to capture all that we can, and send it to the power grid, and bypass batteries, etc. That way we dont incur that loss...and then use another power source when that is not enough.

-- In the late 80's I worked for a company that installed solar cells, and we told companies the cells would last 50 years...ouch...they didnt last 7...the company that sold them to us LIED....however, it's been years since then, and the materials surrounding the cells appear to be better made, etc. I suspect you should buy high quality, and it will last a long time....but if you put a mirror on it, then it takes a beating like nothing in the lab can simulate.