Let’s start with the answer in SI units, and then I’ll see if I can put it into comprehensible terms.

The total solar power hitting Earth is about 173,000 terawatts, or [math]1.73\times10^{17}[/math] joules per second. That’s roughly equivalent to the energy of 41 Megatons of TNT exploding… every second.

It’s hard for us to comprehend how much energy a joule is (or even what energy is in the first place). But energy can be converted into mass, and we do understand what mass is. So let’s try that approach.

Using the formula [math]E = mc^2[/math], where [math]E[/math] is energy, [math]m[/math] is mass, and [math]c[/math] is the speed of light, we can determine that a grain of sand (mass = 10 milligrams) is the equivalent of about 900 billion joules of energy, or 215 tons of TNT. The per-second energy reaching Earth’s surface is certainly greater than that.

The energy equivalent of a marble (mass = 6.5 grams) is about [math]5.84\times10^{14}[/math] joules, or 140 kilotons of TNT. We’re getting into sizeable nuclear weapon territory, and all from the energy stored in a single marble. But it’s still less than the energy coming from the Sun every second.

The energy equivalent of a baseball (mass = 145 grams) is [math]1.30\times10^{16}[/math] joules, or just over 3 Megatons of TNT. Not quite there yet.

Let’s skip to the end. If we convert the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun every second to mass terms, we get about 1.9 kilograms (4.2 pounds). That’s about the same weight as a 2-liter soda bottle.

So, maybe that’s a unit you can comprehend. Every second, the energy equivalent of a 2-liter soda bottle hits Earth from the Sun. That might not sound like much, but remember, it took less than a marble’s worth of energy to end WWII in the Pacific.